To the editor: To think that in 2024 humans will still be using rodenticides to painfully kill animals should make everyone angry. (“California's rat poison bans aren't working. Wild animals and pets are still dying.” editorial, March 14)
When an animal dies from ingesting rat poison because we don't like it or don't want it around, another creature could eat that dead animal, also putting it at risk. As he mentions in his editorial, the poison ascends the food chain until it reaches the pumas.
What will it take for humans to recognize the disasters we cause because we are selfish and stupid?
Learn how to avoid interacting with “nuisance” animals in your life. Recognize the harm we cause in many ways every day and do something positive to reduce the negative impact of our presence on this beautiful planet.
Bee Simpson, South Pasadena
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To the editor: Last year, I found poisonous black box rodent baits along a stream adjacent to a park with a small children's play area in an area where people often let dogs run off leash. I contacted the county vector control office and finally contacted someone who stated that while the baits contain an anticoagulant, it acts quickly and breaks down quickly, so it does not move up the food chain.
There are coyotes, bobcats, and owls in the area, and I am worried they will be poisoned.
The boxes were removed during the winter rains and have not reappeared, but I wish there were better ways to control the rats that live in the area. I still see these boxes in areas adjacent to wildlife habitat.
People don't seem to realize that stream beds are wildlife corridors that run through our cities and that animals come into neighborhoods to hunt at night. They shouldn't eat poisoned rats.
Carol Mathews, Redwood City, California.
