Wildlife near cities face many dangers. Some are easy to detect, such as when new developments destroy natural habitat. Others are less obvious.
For example, rat poisons are a useful tool for controlling a common household problem. But many who use them don’t realise that they have dangerous side effects for wildlife.
Rat poisons are designed to work slowly in their target species, rats, so that they ingest lethal doses of the poisons. The rats then become sick and increasingly toxic over a period of days or weeks. Poisoned rats then become easy, highly toxic prey for predators…