Below is a mountain lion that was poisoned by rat poison. He was trapped, tranq'd, treated with Vitamin K, Ivermectin and released. He really needed at least a week of treatment of Vitamin K, Ivermectin, rest and good food. I hope he survives.
We rehabbers are not allowed to treat large mammals such as adult bear, adult deer, adult mountain lions, adult wild board, adult elk... We need permission on a case by case basic to treat bear and mountain lion cubs.
I personally feel there are a few of us rehabbers with the experience, enclosures and ability to care for mountain lions. I'm not talking about myself as I don't have the room. My wildlife vet Dr. Jennifer Conrad is the number one big cat vet in the US and is located in Santa Monica. She treats tigers, mountain lions, elephants, zoo animals... I know some rescuers and sanctuaries with proper enclosures. I think we could have arranged to keep him in a large enclosure away from people for a week with proper medication, treatment, food and rest.
That said a few years ago a woman was hiking with her lab who ran into a bush and ate a bunch of food. Woman grabbed the food and it was blue rodenticide bars. She tracked it back to the HOA pest control company and got their name. HOA hired them to kill coyotes on the trail. It's illegal to kill coyotes, mountain lions with poison. She took her dog to the vet then made a report to me. I made the report to Fish & Wildlife. Later a mountain lion was found to have died from anti-coagulant poisoning in that area.
You can only kill mice, rats, gophers, ground squirrels with anti-coagulant bait. You can't kill other animals such as bunnies, tree squirrels, bobcats...with poison. Those animals are protected. This poison is not humane. I know because I was once accidentally poisoned by it. It was a horrible experience.
Mary Cummins
Animal Advocates
Household rat poison linked to death and disease in wildlife
Evidence of rat poison is found in a sickly puma whose territory includes Griffith Park. Researchers suspect a link between poisons and mange.
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| Poisoned mountain lion, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, Fish & Wildlife |
The mountain lion known as P-22 looked majestic just a few months ago, in a trail-camera photo shot against the backdrop of the Hollywood sign.
But when a remote camera in Griffith Park captured an image of the puma more recently, it showed a thinner and mangy animal. Scientists sedated him and drew blood samples. They found evidence of exposure to rat poisons.
Now, researchers say they suspect a link between the poisons and the mange, a parasitic skin disease that causes crusting and skin lesions and has contributed to the deaths of scores of bobcats and coyotes. A National Park Service biologist applied a topical treatment for mange and injected Vitamin K to offset the effects of poisoning.
The condition of California's famous cougar is likely to intensify the debate over the use of rat poisons in areas of the state where urban living collides with nature.
Nearly 20 municipalities throughout California, including San Francisco, Calabasas and Malibu, have passed resolutions urging residents not to purchase and businesses not to sell "second-generation" anticoagulant rodenticides, said Jonathan Evans, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit group based in San Francisco. P-22 was afflicted by two older "first-generation" rat poisons, which he probably ingested by eating other wildlife.
The maker of d-CON, a leading rat poison, is fighting efforts to ban sales of its product to consumers, arguing that it is safe when properly used. The company contends that by eliminating consumer access to one type of effective, affordable rodent control, California runs the risk of increasing the use of alternative products that contain powerful — and potentially more harmful — neurotoxins.
During nearly two decades of research in and around the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, park service scientists have documented widespread exposure in carnivores to common household poisons. Of 140 bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions evaluated, 88% tested positive for one or more anticoagulant compounds. Scores of animals are known to have died from internal bleeding, researchers said.
The poisons also affect protected or endangered species including golden eagles, northern spotted owls and San Joaquin kit foxes.
In wide use in parks, schools and homes, rat poisons are designed to kill rodents by thinning the blood and preventing clotting. Many people who set bait traps do not realize the poisons work their way up the food chain, researchers say.
Los Angeles Councilmen Paul Koretz and Tom LaBonge have asked the city's Department of Recreation and Parks to report on the use of poisons to control rodents.
Rest is here.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-rat-poison-20140418,0,7729549.story
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.
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