Anticoagulant rodenticides cause prolonged suffering in target animals and kill significant numbers of predatory birds and mammals through secondary poisoning.
The welfare costs of anticoagulant rodenticides extend far beyond their target species. Rodents dying from internal bleeding over many days experience significant suffering, as do the predators who consume them. Secondary poisoning of raptors and carnivores is widespread and well-documented. The suffering of a mountain lion dying from rodenticide poisoning — or an owl found unable to fly — represents a preventable welfare harm caused by a product choice. Alternatives exist and are increasingly cost-competitive.