Video
Living with Wildlife: Alternatives to Rat Poison
Transcript
Our parks are pretty special places. Keeping them special means being good neighbors and taking care of our wildlife in the park and at home.
When we use household rat poisons, we stop being good neighbors and put our wildlife at risk.
It's a big problem in our parks, causing illness and often death. Rat poison is a slow killer.
Poisoned rodents are easy prey for larger animals. And can pass the poison all the way up the food chain.
It can also be an unintentional killer at home.
So what can you do?
Rodent proof your home and make it hard for them to find shelter.
And get rid of anything that could be an easy source of food.
If things do get out of hand, use traps that are poison free.
Our wildlife makes our parks special, so let's be good neighbors and keep them safe.
To learn more, talk to a park ranger or visit us online at www.nps.gov/samo.
Descriptive Transcript
This animated video opens with two characters and their dog, Nacho, exploring a vibrant park. The narrator highlights the importance of being good neighbors to our local wildlife, both in parks and at home.
The scene transitions to an animated suburban neighborhood, where Nacho plays in a backyard. Inside a house, viewers see common entry points for rodents, including cracks in walls, cluttered spaces, and uncovered trash bins.
Animations then illustrate the dangers of rat poison to wildlife. A sequence shows a rodent consuming poison, weakening, and being eaten by a hawk—symbolizing how the poison moves up the food chain. The visuals remain educational while avoiding graphic content.
The video offers safe, practical alternatives: sealing entry points with steel mesh, decluttering to remove shelter, securing food in airtight containers, and using poison-free traps, shown in action.
In the final scene, Nacho and his owners are back in the park, enjoying nature. A park ranger appears, reinforcing the message of protecting wildlife and encouraging viewers to learn more. The video concludes with the URL www. nps.gov/samo displayed on-screen.
Description
Rodents are an issue for many homeowners but using poisons can harm local wildlife and even one's pets. Follow these two people and their dog, Nacho, as they learn safer ways to get rid of rodents.
Duration
1 minute, 20 seconds
Credit
NPS
Date Created
09/30/2017
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