There is a new killer storm approaching the Hawaiian Islands. But it won’t be raining water; it will be raining rat poison.

If the federal and state governments have their way, helicopters will broadcast rat poison in conservation and wilderness areas throughout the state in an effort to eradicate rodents and mongooses.

Rat eradication has been tried before, on small islands. They now are ready to try it big scale, throughout Hawaii.

Researchers admit this is an experiment. They know how to kill the rodents and mongooses by using anticoagulant poisons which make the animal slowly bleed to death. The problem is what happens to the rest of the environment and all the other species when you poison the food chain, the soil and the water.

Studies of past poisonings to kill rats showed that the poison kills more than rats. “Nontarget” casualties include cats, barn owls, the endangered Hawaiian owl, the Hawaiian hawk, and any other bird which eats the poison or eats poisoned crabs, insects,rodents, fish, slugs, or any other prey. The poison is found in everything, making the entire food web poisonous.

Fish are also found to contain the poison after it leaches into the oceans and reefs, especially fish used for human food, making this a known hazard to fishermen. And pigs also eat the poison and eat dead, poisoned animals, making pigs a health hazard to consume, affecting the hunting community.

One problem with rodent control is that new rodents immigrate into the area within a few months after poison pellets are gone. That’s why the proposed eradication plan includes continuous, repeated poisoning to keep killing new rodents and mongooses that immigrate to the area. They will be aerially broadcasting rat poison into the environment. Part of the experiment is to see what happens when they poison huge areas instead of just tiny islands.

Scientists know about all the negative impacts from poisoning rats. But they already consider many of the accidental victims to be pests, as well. They do not shed a tear for the feral or domestic cat that eats a poisoned mouse, or the barn owl or cattle egret that snatches a poisoned rat. They consider the cats, owls, and egrets “invasive” species.

As for hunters and fishermen and their families who may be poisoned by eating poisoned pigs and fish, it will be difficult to prove in court. And then you would have to sue the government!

Actually, the government cares more about endangered species than about the endangered subsistence culture. Nevertheless, they are willing to “take” some endangered species, too, in the fight against rats, expecting casualties to all animals eating from a poisoned plate.

These are acceptable casualties in the war on rats, according to government eradicators, who believe poisons are the way to go. They insist that the benefits outweighs the harms. And they are willing to go full hog and poison the entire state to prove how great poisons are in killing rodents and mongooses.

If you don’t agree with their willingness to experiment with poisons in the Hawaiian Islands then now is your time to comment. Until April 7, you can submit comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, where the government presents its proposed eradication plans, is here.

For more information, click here.