Perth Voice Interactive

WITH owls dropping dead across the state after eating poisoned rats, Stirling council is the latest to get on board with an “Owl Friendly” approach to killing rodents. 

Councillor Tony Krsticevic implored colleagues to become an “Owl Friendly” council at their November meeting. 

“What people don’t realise is that these supermarkets and Bunnings sell you these pesticides which basically kill our native fauna,” he said, specifically when owls eat a rodent that’s consumed potent ‘second-generation anti-coagulant rodenticides’. 

“If an owl eats a mouse that’s died of this poison, the owl will die as well, so that’s very concerning. 

“We don’t have a great amount of fauna out there and we need to protect it.”

This year several councils have become “Owl Friendly”, including Vincent, Fremantle, Cockburn, and Melville. A 2018 study found more than 50 per cent of dead southern boobook owls collected around Perth and south-west WA had dangerous levels of rat poison in their systems.

While owls are the poster-child, other birds like eagles and magpies can also be affected, and some ground-dwelling mammals can also be attracted to the rat baits. 

Stirling council staff have confirmed they don’t use the second-gen poisons, but Cr Krsticevic wants to go a step further and exclude its indirect use through contracts and to promote more owl friendly products for use in the community. An alternative is ‘first generation’ anti-coagulants, which break down more quickly in the rodents, and would require multiple doses to kill an owl. 

Cr Krsticevic’s notice of motion does note that even those are still poison, and an ideal approach should involve reducing rodent numbers though “hygiene, blocking access, and use of non-poison traps… while accepting that sometimes there is a need to resort to poison”.

A report is due back to council in March on how they can ensure indirect use of the second gen poisons, on how they can promote more owl friendly measures, and how they can best work with Birdlife Australia and other councils to promote the owl friendly movement. 

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Authority is currently conducting a “reconsideration” of anti-coagulant rodenticides. This includes re-assessing their risks and considering whether there are adequate instructions on labels.

by DAVID BELL