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Animal / preclinicalEnvironmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2026

Toxic towns: Drivers of anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in an urban edge carnivore.

Gabriella R M Leighton, Jacqueline M Bishop, Pablo Camarero … Laurel E K Serieys

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Internal MedicineAnimal / preclinical

78% of urban-edge caracals showed high anticoagulant rodenticide exposure

Toxic towns: Drivers of anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in an urban edge carnivore.

Gabriella R M Leighton … Laurel E K Serieys

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2026

Background

Anticoagulant rodenticides (anticoagulant rodenticides) are used globally to control rodent populations; however, exposure of non-target wildlife is a growing conservation concern.

78%

Results

78%

most caracals had heavy exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides

n = 102 caracals

More results

Caracals (Caracal caracal) in and around Cape Town are attracted to forage on the urban edge, where they face anticoagulant rodenticides exposure risk.

We use generalized linear models to investigate the liver concentration and diversity of anticoagulant rodenticides in 102 caracals within a global biodiversity hotspot.

More results

We assess sex and age relationships, as well as their association with habitat types and urban features to identify exposure routes and landscape drivers of risk.

Anticoagulant rodenticides present a cryptic threat to urban wildlife populations already vulnerable to increasing habitat loss and anthropogenic sources of mortality.

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Conclusion

This study supports global trends suggesting targeted mitigation should include policies that reduce anticoagulant rodenticides use, particularly for rodent control and food waste management near wildlife habitat.

Post

Toxic towns: Drivers of anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in an urban edge carnivore.

78% of urban-edge caracals showed high anticoagulant rodenticide exposure

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