Philadelphia—Stop Poisoning Wildlife!

Since the spring of 2004, Philadelphia residents have been pleading with city administrators to end their cruel war on wildlife in public parks. For the last year, the city's health department has been distributing rat poison in the park, but instead of killing rats, the poison has wiped out the park's squirrel population. Many residents, wildlife rehabilitators, and veterinarians contacted PETA after watching squirrels from Rittenhouse Square Park die slow, painful deaths after eating the tainted rat bait.

Since then, PETA and other animal welfare groups have been urging the city to develop more effective, humane ways to control the parks' rat populations without jeopardizing wildlife and needlessly exposing children and companion animals to deadly poisons. Residents reportedly continue to find dead and dying squirrels in the park.

Not only is poisoning squirrels cruel, it's illegal. Failing to follow the product label on a pesticide is a violation of federal law. The product label on the rat poison used in the park clearly states that the substance is not to be used in reach of children, companion animals, or wildlife. Several residents and concerned citizens have gathered physical evidence from the park, including dead squirrels, toxicology reports, photos, and video footage demonstrating the misuse of pesticides by city employees. As a result, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture initiated investigation into the possible misuse of pesticides by the City of Philadelphia. The results of the investigation are still pending.

Please contact John F. Street, the mayor of Philadelphia, and urge him to order city employees to remove all poison from the park immediately and establish a strict policy that prohibits the use of poisons in Philadelphia's parks:

The Honorable John F. Street
Mayor of Philadelphia
The Mayor's Action Center
City Hall, Rm. 143
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-686-3000
215-686-6215 (fax)
Renee Grundy, the executive director of the Mayor's Action Center, can be reached at renee.grundy@phila.gov.

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