Last spring, we saw the damage that rat poisons do. A beloved Great Horned Owl family died in Lincoln Park just weeks after the owlet left the nest. They were confirmed rodenticide deaths and these unfortunate losses happen all over the region.
The sad truth is that rat poison doesn’t reduce rat populations. It can be lethal to any bird or mammal, including pets. Our local wildlife — from owls and hawks, to squirrels, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and opossums — is in danger. Consuming rat poison directly or through poisoned prey causes a slow, painful death to any animal that accumulates enough of it. This poison creates a toxic food web. It’s just bad for people and animals alike.
But there is hope on the horizon! A better way to control rats without collateral damage could be rat birth control pellets, and with your help, CBA can spearhead a pilot study this year to establish the effectiveness of this contraceptive.
There is a strong team behind this initiative:
Dr. Maureen Murray of the Lincoln Park Zoo will be conducting the study. Alderman Timmy Knudsen and Rafael Rosa, Executive Director of Lincoln Park Conservancy, will partner with the Chicago Bird Alliance on fundraising. Deputy Commissioner Gloria Pittman (Chicago’s “rat czar”) is very interested in the results and likely will replicate in other wards if it is successful.
The trial will take place near Lincoln Park, where the owls sadly met their untimely deaths, and is slated to begin in the summer.
What we need now is funding. We have an ambitious goal to raise $32,100 and we can meet it with your help! This will cover the expenses for the study including the contraceptive. Lincoln Park Zoo is generously contributing cameras and staff time, a value of over $17,000, and Wisdom Good Works (who makes the contraceptive) is contributing feeding stations, valued at over $3000.
Please give generously to the Chicago Bird Alliance campaign to save our raptors and fund the pilot program. This is a one-time donation that can stop the death of many raptors in Chicago. Together we can find a “win-win" for humans and nature.