Great Horned Owl owlets at Seward Park | Jen Yu
Owls need your help! Click the button to tell Washington State legislators to get dangerous rat poisons out of our neighborhoods.
The Owls in the Eagle’s Nest
This year, a breeding pair of Great Horned Owls captivated thousands of Seattleites when they chose to raise a family in an eagle’s nest just a short walk from the amphitheater at Seattle’s Seward Park. Before long, three fuzzy owlets appeared, adorable downy lumps with big yellow eyes peering over the edge of the nest. Because the nest was so easy to observe, countless visitors watched the family grow, witnessing sweet moments as the parents brooded, nuzzled, and delivered meals of rodents to their hungry chicks.
They could not have known those meals were poisoning their family.
Great Horned Owl owlets at Seward Park | Jen Yu
Poisoned Food
Blood-thinning rat poisons are widely used to kill rodents. These poisons are highly toxic, slow-acting, and accumulate in the tissues of animals that ingest them. As poisoned rodents grow weak, they become easy prey for predators like Great Horned Owls. With every poisoned rodent the parents ate and fed their chicks, the owls’ toxic loads climbed.
By July, three of the five members of this owl family, one adult and two juveniles, had died, showing severe internal bleeding consistent with high exposure to blood-thinning rat poisons.
⚠️ Content warning: Potentially disturbing image of poisoned Great Horned Owl. Click to view at your discretion.
Adult Great Horned Owl found bleeding at Seward Park. It was transported to PAWS, but died on the way. Photo courtesy of Jen Yu.
A Widespread Problem
This tragedy is far from unusual. Because rodents are a key food source for many predators and scavengers, species including owls, hawks, and coyotes are routinely found carrying blood-thinning rat poisons in their bodies. These poisons harm health and reproduction, cause prolonged suffering, and sometimes lead to death.
We Can Fix This
We can prevent this needless suffering by restricting the use of blood-thinning rat poisons and promoting safer, more effective rodent management. In 2026, the Washington State House considered legislation to restrict these poisons (HB 2516-25-26), but the bill stalled in committee. Our legislators should get these restrictions over the finish line when they reconvene in 2027.
Take Action
Click the button below to tell your Washington state legislators to restrict the use of blood-thinning rat poisons when they reconvene in 2027.
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