The lack of Diamond Pythons in the Bay over the last few years (noticed by many community members) and the recent rise of rat infestations in our homes is no coincidence.
Diamond Pythons are not only incredibly beautiful with their own intrinsic value, they also help keep vermin numbers down. The typical prey of Diamond Pythons are small animals and reptiles. Their presence in the area helps keep the number of rats down to manageable proportions.
Rats that ingest poison do not die immediately. The poison makes them slow down and they are more likely to be eaten by predators like snakes. If a python eats a poisoned rat, the poison is absorbed into the liver of the python and acts like a toxic time bomb. Whilst not everyone likes or is concerned about snakes, rat poison is an indiscriminate killer.
It can be eaten by any number of other animals (witness the recent death of Magpies at Long Reef Golf Course due to the ingestion of rat poison) or the rats themselves can be eaten by other predators such as Powerful Owls. With rat poison being so readily available and completely unregulated, its use is widespread and careless.
Poisoned Magpies, Northern Beaches Living
The ideal option would be to restrict the public use of rodenticides but, until that happens, we have a responsibility to avoid its use in our area. An easy alternative to rat poison is the Elliot trap. This is a cage-like structure that traps the animal live so that you can identify it (to make sure you have the Black Rat, Rattus rattus rather than a native Antechinus). You can then dispose of the rat humanely without impacting other animals. Elliot traps can be easily purchased on-line.
We choose to live here for the unparallelled natural beauty of the environment, the amazing native wildlife and the warm community. Let’s take our responsibility as caretakers of this land seriously and minimise our negative impacts.