Editor:
Re: Neighbours upset after owl dies from eating rat poison, April 1
While there are a number of valid points made, the main issue is the attraction for mice, rats, squirrels, skunks, seagulls and crows.
The actions of supposed “animal lovers” in spreading bread, popcorn, peanuts and food scraps to feed the seagulls and crows has the effect of attracting and possibly killing them.
When bread gets wet it becomes sticky and can get lodged in the bird’s digestive system causing impaction and fermentation resulting in death. This happens even when the bread is small, dry or stale! Somewhat the same impact for popcorn. Squirrels love the peanuts and dig up local flower beds to store them.
If you look around, you do not see undernourished birds – there are enough natural sources of food for them all and feeding them “people” food detracts from their natural abilities to gather or hunt food and they become dependent on unnatural, processed food.
We have complained numerous times to the City of Surrey and Metro Vancouver Housing regarding the spreading of these garbage scraps from neighbouring properties with little impact and we have to resort to rat control methods to protect our homes.
If no one takes action against the basic cause, it will become a losing battle and more owls will lose their lives.
Wayne Mercer, Surrey
