Poison Control and its Effect upon Wild Life

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IN California the control of the ground squirrel (Citellus beecheyi) by poison has given rise to strong protests in journals devoted to ornithology and bird protection, on account of the death by poisoning of numbers of wild creatures which are not injurious. We have already referred to some of these articles, and in fairness, it ought to be stated that the California Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for the organisation of the poisoning measures, accepts neither the “facts” nor the conclusions of the writers. In a summary of “The California Ground Squirrel Control Program”, Eugene S. Kellogg states that those in charge of rodent operations were anxious to know what effect thallium, exposed on bait for ground squirrels, might have on other species of wild life, or how it might act as a secondary poison on predatory animals and birds. To check this point, the Biological Survey made a careful census of the wild life, then exposed baits far heavier than necessary for existing ground squirrel population in order to learn wild life tolerances. Careful checking by several observers during thirty days failed to show an appreciable effect on the beneficial animal life of the area. Hawks, quail and mourning doves, the species watched most carefully, appeared to be as numerous at the conclusion of the test as before (California Dept. Agr. Special Pub. No. 109). In this clash of opinion it is impossible for the outsider to discover exactly where the truth lies; our impression is that there is a certain amount of bias on each side and an absence of the scientific detachment which would carry conviction. A basic fact which cannot be ignored is that ground squirrels are an economic pest which somehow must be controlled.