Assessing potential risk to alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, from nutria control with zinc phosphide rodenticide baits.
Nutria, Myocastor coypus, populations must be reduced when they cause substantial wetland damage. Control can include the rodenticide zinc phosphide, but the potential impacts to American alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, must be assessed. The mean amount of zinc phosphide per nutria found in nutria carcasses was 50 mg. Risk assessment determined that a conservative estimate for maximum exposure would be 173 mg zinc phosphide for a 28 kg alligator, or 6.2 mg/kg. Probit analysis found an LD(50) for alligators of 28 mg/kg. Our studies suggest that the use of zinc phosphide to manage nutria populations would pose only a small risk to alligators.
Witmer
Gary W
GW
USDA/APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521-2154, USA. Gary.W.Witmer@aphis.usda.gov
Eisemann
John D
JD
Primus
Thomas M
TM
O'Hare
Jeanette R
JR
Perry
Kelly R
KR
Elsey
Ruth M
RM
Trosclair
Phillip L
PL
D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D020387:Food Chain; D008145:Louisiana; D010720:Phosphines / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012375:Rodent Control / Q000379:methods*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D012378:Rodenticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*
D010720:Phosphines; D012378:Rodenticides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C009701:zinc phosphide