EVIDENCE OF POISONING MOUNTS AMID UNIVERSITY'S DENIALS
April 28, 2010. Victoria, B.C.
Following accusations the university was poisoning the campus rabbits, Tom Smith, a senior bureaucrat in Facilities Management has gone on record on TV and in the print media saying there are "no poison boxes" on campus. However, it is clear from the many photos taken and circulated in the past few days that there are indeed many poison boxes at UVic, and in all likelihood they are killing at the very least several species apart from the alleged target species, rats. The boxes photographed all around UVic campus are labelled "Victoria Pest Control" and contain an extremely toxic poison called Bromadiolone. A research paper on Bromadiolone states is is 10 times stronger than warfarin in rabbits, debunking the universities claim that it is not toxic for rabbits.
Baby rabbits, young squirrels, field mice, birds and other native rodents can all access these poison boxes and eat the anti-coagulant poison inside. Bromadiolone, like its predecessor warfarin, causes internal bleeding and often the animals die with no apparent external symtoms. As timid prey species, the affected animals, feeling sick, often hide in their burrows or under vegetative cover. This is often where they will die, away from public view, in agonizing pain and distress as they bleed out. If another animal eats them they can die from the poison ingested by the prey species. This can cause additional casualties in the predatory and scavenging species. The compound remains active in the bloodstream for a minimum of 28 days. Medical treatment of affected animals involves injections or oral administration of vitamin K for a period of 28 days.
If, as they claim, they were originally ignorant of the risks involved, the University will now be aware that their rat poison is killing other animals...and this leaves them open to prosecution under the provincial Wildlife Act, the federal Criminal Code, and the provincial Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The BCSPCA has received complaints about the poison, and there have been reports of dead baby bunnies on campus, including several in the Emily Carr building surrounds. Students, staff, and other campus visitors have noticed grounds staff removing dead and dying rabbits into plastic garbage bags. An investigation is underway, and there are calls for the university to remove all the poison boxes from campus.
While the university blames people feeding rabbits for the so-called rat problem, others say the blame should be laid at the feet of the university. Animal-proof garbage containers, and improved hygiene on an institutional level would be more effective at reducing attractants for rodents and other opportunistic species. Scapegoating the rabbits once again for the university's institutional inadequacies is a poor substitute for dealing with the root of the problem...an administration that is resistant to change and unwilling to consult with the community on matters of mutual concern.
There are many contentious issues around the use of dangerous substances such as systemic poisons in public areas. Bromadiolone is a very dangerous compound, as it is also mutagenic and toxic to humans. It can be orally ingested, inhaled and absorbed through the skin of an animal or a person. A single dose can kill a target animal or a non-target animal such as a cat, dog, or protected, red-listed or endangered species. Harming these animals is a cruel, and serious offence. Like warfarin, bromadiolone acts as a classical indirect anticoagulant, i.e. it interferes with Vitamin K activity, but its potency is about 10 times greater than that of warfarin in rabbits according to the attached study on bromadiolone toxicity. (see page 222)
The amazing contortions of campus administration to avoid responsibility on the rabbit issue never cease to astound observers...the collective opinion being that the university needs to follow the lead of community members who have offered to deal with the problem with no assistance from the university....thus garnering the appreciation of concerned citizens...and regaining the respect the institution needs to function in a world that demands more...more than a base and brutish response...and more than a thoughtless and cruel attack on such gentle little creatures.
Prepared by Roslyn Cassells
Copyright Roslyn Cassells - may be reproduced, shared, copied, printed and posted for any reason if author is acknowledged.
