Youth Action For Wildlife

11/04/2026

North Country Wild Care
Poison is NOT the answer. ☠️🐾

When it comes to dealing with rodents, it might seem like an easy fix, but rodent poisons don’t just affect rats and mice. They create a deadly chain reaction in our ecosystems.

Wildlife like hawks, owls, foxes, and even bald eagles are being poisoned after eating contaminated prey. In fact, studies have shown that the vast majority of tested wildlife had been exposed to rodenticides, especially the long-lasting types that build up in the food chain.

And here’s the hard truth:
👉 There is no such thing as a “wildlife-safe” rodent poison.

🌿 So what CAN you do instead?

Safe, effective alternatives include:

✔ Sealing up entry points around your home
✔ Securing food sources (trash, bird seed, pet food)
✔ Removing nesting materials
✔ Encouraging natural predators like owls
✔ Using deterrents instead of poisons

These methods don’t just protect wildlife, they often work better long-term by addressing the root of the problem.

🐾 Why this matters

Rodenticides don’t stay where you put them.

Animals eat the bait directly
Predators eat poisoned rodents
Scavengers consume contaminated carcasses

This ripple effect harms countless non-target animals and is something we see far too often in wildlife rehabilitation.

💚 Be part of the solution

Choosing safer alternatives helps protect:

Local wildlife
Pets
The balance of our ecosystems

Poison might seem like a quick fix but in reality, it comes at a devastating cost to wildlife, pets and even children.

If you share one post, please let it be this one. So much information that needs to be shared!

03/04/2026

Sorry to see Mitre10 in Dunsborough has not followed the lead of the Coles and Woolies that I’ve visited and just taken the SGARs off the shelf but are continuing to sell them for as long as they can (with the new labelling that makes it all OK 😤). They do have a good range of FGARs however so if you must poison animals then use these. Mitre 10

26/03/2026

Over 10 yrs ago the EPA in the USA banned SGARs from public sale and restricted their use to professionals and tamper proof bait boxes - sound familiar? This wonderful organisation in Connecticut sees the effects and the deaths everyday. Murray Watt - Senator for Queensland Julie Collins MP Dr Brad Pettitt MLC Kate Chaney MP

26/03/2026

Thanks for all the support PLC Perth - it’s been a big team effort with particularly Owl Friendly Margaret River Region Capes Raptor Centre Kanyana Wildlife and BirdLife Australia. Now we move on to the pest controllers. If you use a pest controller who wants to put poison down in your property quiz them as to what they’re using, ask them which chemical it is - we’ve found several who say “it’s wildlife friendly” when it’s the worst type of SGAR! Of course most of us don’t need to use poisons - just make your house less attractive to rats and mice; advice on our website.

After years of determined advocacy, lobbying, and campaigning, Poppy (Year 11) has helped achieve a significant milestone in the protection of Australia’s native wildlife, with major retailers removing second-generation rat poisons from their shelves. These products, known as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), have long been linked to the unintended poisoning of owls and other native species.

Poppy’s journey began in the Junior School. As a Year 5 student preparing for her Year 6 Exhibition, she followed a line of enquiry into rat poisons and was struck by the devastating impact they were having on wildlife.

What began as a project quickly became something more. In Year 7, Poppy founded Youth Action for Wildlife (initially Wildlife Warriors), an initiative dedicated to raising awareness and protecting native animals.

More recently, Poppy has extended her advocacy by working alongside organisations including BirdLife Australia and Owl Friendly Margaret River, continuing to campaign for meaningful change. These collective efforts have contributed to a landmark decision by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to ban second-generation rat poisons from retail sale.

She has now turned her attention to an important next step – addressing the continued use of these poisons in commercial settings, where pest management companies are still permitted to use SGARs. It is a complex challenge, but one she is approaching with the same determination that has defined her journey so far.

Closer to home, Poppy’s advocacy has already led to meaningful change within the College. She was the catalyst behind PLC moving away from these harmful poisons and instead adopting more environmentally responsible rat control methods, demonstrating how student voice can influence real, tangible change within a community.

This outcome is significant. It reflects years of persistence, courage, and the belief that young people can influence real-world decisions.

14/03/2026

It’s all about the food chain! If you have a few minutes, please write to and the APVMA… they are only banning SGARs for public use… we need the ban to include pest controllers… a bait box is not safe… we will still have primary and secondary poisoning… my school had 40 bait stations with SGARs… set by the pest controller and we used to have Boobooks, not any more🥲

14/03/2026

Yes, we saw stock levels low at Bunnings today

Boyd captured this photo of an endangered Tasmanian Masked Owl. Hopefully the ban on SGARs will take one pressure off beautiful birds like her.

Sadly we've heard that some people are buying up and hoarding SGARs. Unbelievable 😭 how can anyone knowingly choose to kill wildlife? A cynical thought - if you see someone doing that you could tell them to buy the lot just in case. Then the shelves will empty quicker and that person will live in a lifeless place and save the wider environment.

Seriously, can we all talk to our local shops about voluntarily taking SGARs off the shelves right now? Ask them how, in good conscience, they can continue to sell a product that everyone now knows is deadly?

12/03/2026

Why we need to keep the pressure on and ban SGARs completely… check out what goes in and out of this bait box!!!!!

12/03/2026

This shows all the invertebrates, insects and slugs etc, that visit bait boxes and then carry the poison out inside them They are then eaten by native animals and birds such as tawny frogmouths, insectivorous birds such as fairy wrens, owls, frogs who are then poisoned. The announcement this week by the APVMA that the public are not going to be able to use SGARs is great, but pest controllers will still use them - we need them completely banned. Owl Friendly Margaret River Region Save Sunrise Glossies Dr Brad Pettitt MLC Kate Chaney MP Murray Watt - Senator for Queensland BirdLife Australia

10/03/2026

Wonderful news - looks like I won't be standing in Bunnings in another 5 years showing how easy it is for a child to buy Owl Poisons POST Newspapers. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard for so long on this and for everyone who has signed our petitions, letters etc and those from BirdLife Australia and others. However, an SGAR bait box is an SGAR bait box whether placed by a member of the public or by a pest controller – let's celebrate today and then continue to fight for complete SGAR removal. We still have 6 days to submit to the APVMA for this.

: Woo hoo! 🦉 Together, we did it! The regulator is now recommending a BAN on the public sale of bird-killing rat poisons.

After massive public pressure and a decade of campaigning by BirdLife Australia and other conservation groups, the APVMA has strengthened its recommendation to include the removal of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) from retail sale. This announcement comes just one week before the original submission period was due to close.

This was not the original decision proposed by the APVMA, and if approved and implemented, SGARs would be restricted to licensed professionals and removed from shelves, marking one of the biggest conservation wins for Australian wildlife in recent years.

These toxic baits have been killing owls, eagles, and other native wildlife across Australia. This new recommendation is a huge step forward in protecting our birds and other animals.

Victory is in sight, and it is thanks to all of you. Over 10,000 submissions to the APVMA were from BirdLife Australia supporters alone. The APVMA heard your voices and we thank them for listening.

While this is a huge win for wildlife, we still need this recommendation to be finalised and signed off. So over to you, Julie Collins, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australia, to make it official.

There is still work to do so stay tuned for more and we thank you so much for your passion and support. Today, you have all made a difference for Australia's wildlife.

📸 Ray Sayers, Rebecca Harrison & Teresa Madgwick

17/11/2025

What an amazing experience I had with Anne-Marie from Capes Raptor Centre and Boyd Wykes, Conservationist and masked owl expert from Owl Friendly Margaret River. Boyd is explaining the difference between a masked owl and a barn owl.

Remember, please don’t use second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), they kill more than the rat or mouse. These spectacular creatures eat the rats and mice (that’s their dinner) who have been poisoned… it’s called secondary poisoning… the rat/mouse is loaded with poison… so they become a walking block of bait!!!

09/11/2025

Thank you to Stephanie and the Friends of Bold Park Bushland group for asking me along to talk about second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) on Tuesday evening and the devastating effects they have on our wildlife🦉🦉🦉. It would be amazing if the Town of Cambridge could take the next steps and become owl friendly and update their website.....small changes can make a big difference!