Salem May Join Push To Ban Poisons That Can Harm Birds

SALEM, MA — The stories of birds of prey suffering from the life-threatening effects of commonly used rodent poisoning in Salem have spurred a push to ban the use of the second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide within city limits.

City Councilor Kyle Davis said he intends to introduce the home-rule petition at Thursday's City Council meeting, which would allow Salem to follow in the footsteps of Arlington, Newton, Newbury, Orleans, Brookline, and, most recently, Gloucester.

"I'm proud to share that Gloucester is taking a big step toward a safer, healthier environment," Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga said of that city's ban passage on Monday. "These chemicals can harm more than just rodents — they also pose a serious threat to local wildlife, pets, and even children. By making this change, we're committing to safer, more environmentally responsible pest control practices."

Davis cited the harrowing story from Salem Wildlife Rescue founder Jess Reese of how she found a red-tailed hawk near a Salem restaurant that uses rodenticides, and the bird choked to death in her arms while she was attempting to save it through the use of Vitamin K.

"I was doing triage on him when I heard this coughing sound, and he sprayed blood in my face and all over my body," she told Patch in February. "I am sitting there covered in this bird's blood and sobbing because it traumatized me.

"I knew what rodenticide was, but until you have a bird die in her arms because it drowned its own blood, you don't understand how awful it is."

• Salem Owl's Survival Struggle Spurs Push For Action Against Rodenticides

"The stories of beautiful birds in our community that have died from being second-hand poisoned are heartbreaking," Davis said in a statement to Patch. "And due to the ability of these animals to consume thousands of rodents a year, the use of SGARs has clearly been shown to be counter-productive."

Davis said that, in support of this effort, a petition was created by Salem residents that attended a recent Mass Audobon event, which has quickly garnered hundreds of signatures.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)