The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey collaborates with researchers around the country to contribute data to raptor conservation projects. By partnering on these projects, our conservation efforts go far beyond the more than 700 birds we treat each year in our Raptor Trauma Clinic, potentially impacting generations of raptors in Florida and around the U.S.
This year, the Center is collaborating with researchers Aidan O’Reilly and Nicole Nemeth from the University of Georgia on a study investigating the clinical effects and outcomes of anticoagulant rodenticide exposures in raptors. Blood samples from larger patients in the Center’s Raptor Trauma Clinic (Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and Great Horned Owls) will be collected to test clotting parameters, with the hope of linking them to observed symptoms. Serum samples will also be taken and sent to a lab to test for the presence of rodenticide toxins in the blood.
Raptors, especially larger species, are at risk of ingesting large amounts of toxins due to their place atop the food chain. These species are more likely to consume sick or dead rats that have ingested these toxins, becoming unintentional casualties of rodenticide.
Rodenticides work by preventing the clotting of blood, leading to internal and external bleeding and, without intervention, possibly death. Symptoms in affected birds can include lethargy, weakness, bleeding (internal or external), neurological signs (seizures/tremors or paralysis), bruising/hematoma, loss of appetite, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. Many patients are able to recover with supportive care, vitamin K, yinnan biao (a traditional Chinese herb), fluids, or blood transfusion.
By learning more about the clinical effects of these toxins on raptors, we can better understand the danger these birds face and provide evidence supporting the reduction or banning of certain types of rodenticide.
