Rat Poison Kills a Pack of Eastern Coyotes, Canis latrans, in an Urban Area

Authors

  • Jonathan G. Way Environmental Studies Program and Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Higgins Hall, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
  • Stephen M. Cifuni 32 Maple Street, Revere, Massachusetts 02151
  • David L. Eatough Science Department, Revere High School, 101 School Street, Revere, Massachusetts 02151
  • Eric G. Strauss Urban Ecology Institute, Environmental Studies Program, and Biology Department, Boston College, Higgins Hall, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v120i4.360

Keywords:

Canis latrans var., Eastern Coyote, anticoagulant, brodifacoum, poison, rat poison, Massachusetts

Abstract

We document the death of a pack of Eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans) from high levels of brodifacoum, a second generation poison that is the active ingredient in some forms of rat poison (e.g., d-Con®). The Coyotes died within a week of each other during late March/early April 2005. This incident indicates the vulnerability of wild animals to commercial over-the-counter rodenticides.

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