Image: Craig O'Neal, Flickr
In case you missed it, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's proposal to use a poison called Kaput Feral Hog Bait to kill feral hogs has been met with serious questions and concerns. We wrote about this in a recent blog post, but here's the quick background from Lone Star Chapter Conservation Chair Evelyn Merz:
"The active ingredient in Kaput is warfarin. You or someone you know might have a prescription for Coumadin, a brand name for warfarin. Warfarin is commonly prescribed as a blood thinner to treat blood clots or to reduce their future occurrence. Warfarin can be a life saver for some people, but it started out as the active ingredient in rat poison."
The Texas Wildilfe Association has also publicly expressed some serious concern about using this poison to deal with the state's feral hog problem. In a recent blog post they share what dangers Kaput poses from a read of the label. Two big ones jump out:
"First, the “Environmental Hazards” statement on the label notes possible toxicity to fish, birds, and other wildlife. The “Bait Application” statement requires collection and disposal of spilled bait around the feeders every 1 to 4 days. Both of these statements taken in context with a bait delivery apparatus that is easily defeated by wildlife other than feral hogs lead TWA to believe there is real risk of non-target species consuming Warfarin. Likely non-target wildlife would include small mammals and birds, which could in turn be consumed by other mammal, bird, and reptilian predators or scavengers.
Second, the “Surveillance and Follow-up” requirements recommend disposal of the poisoned carcasses by burial or other methods to ensure they are not accessible to scavengers. The length between consumption of poison and death (several days) makes this effectively impossible, virtually ensuring non-target species impact."
Bottom line: this is a bad idea. Consequently, two bills have been filed in the Texas Legislature to require a study to be done before the use of poison like warfarin can be used in this way. SB 1454, filed by Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), and HB 3451, filed by Rep. Lynn Stucky (R-Sanger), would pump the breaks on this reckless idea to control feral hogs. You can find those and many more bills we are tracking in our Bill Tracker.