UVic gifted with owl nesting box to support natural habitat

Earlier this year Deanna and Rob, who work to support the protection of animals, donated one of their locally made owl nesting boxes to the university. The donation was made in recognition of UVic’s ban on rodenticides and focus on promoting healthy habitats for all animals.

“The owl box provides a safe place for owls to nest and raise their young. These owl house installations are an opportunity to raise awareness about the rodenticide issue that is affecting these magnificent creatures so treasured by our community. Owls play an important role by providing toxic free rodent control. Our hope is to see a breeding pair call this their home in the near future”   -Deanna Pfeifer

Rodenticides, otherwise known as “rat poisons”, often found in black bait boxes around buildings pose serious risks to many of B.C.'s treasured native and at-risk species. In addition to rats, small animals including songbirds, shrews, voles, and other non-target mammals and invertebrates are known to access bait boxes containing these poisons. This direct feeding is contaminating the food-chain and wider ecosystem: birds of prey, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, skunks and other mammalian predators that feed on small animals have been found to have rodenticides in their systems.

Owls and other raptors are at a particularly high risk of secondary poisoning because of their dependence on rodents as a food source.

UVic’s bait boxes now contain snap traps rather than poison. These stations have also been updated with a “Raptor Friendly Traps only” label.

Deanna, who leads the Rodenticide Free BC campaign, is advocating for a complete ban on rat poisons in the province. This campaign is supported by Defend Them All, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the protections of animals and their habitats. Feel free to contact Deanna if you are interested in getting involved in this initiative. She can be reached at dgpfeifer67@gmail.com.