Earlier this month Rhode Island became the second state to pass legislation protecting wildlife against deadly blood-thinning rat poisons. Now, we just have to hope the state enforces the law. History has shown that is no guarantee.

California, in 2024, passed the Poison-Free Wildlife Act, which placed tight restrictions on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Other New England states have introduced similar legislation, but Little Rhody was the first to do the right thing.

Anticoagulant rodenticides kill by preventing blood from clotting, and although rats and mice are the targets, there is no way to prevent consumption by non-targeted species that dine on rodents.

One would think the damage and death caused to the natural world by the use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in the 1950s and ’60s would have taught us something. In her groundbreaking 1962 book “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson warned us about the dangers of spraying poisons about.

Yet, year after year, Rhode Island and the rest of country drenches itself with multifarious amounts of poison.

For instance, research found the global mosquito control market was valued at $793 million in 2021 and is projected to reach $1.4 billion by 2027. Mosquito Mary, Mosquito Mike, and Mosquito Joe are making money killing insects we depend on to pollinate the food we eat and the flowers we pick. The poisons they spray don’t target just mosquitos and ticks; they can kill indiscriminately.

Unfortunately, we are slow learners, at least when it comes to protecting the environment.

The new Ocean State law restricts the use of anticoagulant rodenticides and provides a commonsense approach to pest management, according to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, which has long pushed for the legislation. The nonprofit said the legislation (H7222/S2795) creates a scientifically informed, replicable framework for municipalities that will sustainably reduce rodent populations and also protect the birds of prey and mammals that naturally manage these rodent populations.

First-generation anticoagulants, which are generally less potent and less commonly relied upon, will be restricted from retail sales beginning March 1. Second-generation anticoagulants, which have become widely used because of their lethality, will be restricted from retail sale Jan. 1, 2028. A voluntary municipal Integrated Pest Management pilot program is to begin no later than July 1, 2027.

Raptors are especially vulnerable to these poisons. Eagles, hawks, and owls are capable of eating thousands of rodents annually and only need to ingest one or two poisoned rats or mice for it to wreak havoc on their bodies. As these rodenticides accumulate in these birds, it often ends in serious injury or death.

Sheida Soleimani, founder and executive director of Congress of the Birds, the state’s only bird-specific wildlife rehabilitator, has said her nonprofit admitted 148 birds of prey into its care in 2024 and all of them tested positive for anticoagulants in their blood. A total of 86 died or had to be euthanized because of it.

Frank Carini can be reached at [email protected]. His opinions don’t reflect those of ecoRI News.