The Killer poison Avitrol and the Phillips Petroleum Company

[BrokenWing]

The Killer poison Avitrol is being used accross the USA, the makers of this poison claim the chemical is a deterant, In many cases when this poison is used birds can be found dead miles from where the poison was administered and even human sicknesses have ben reported.
The company that makes this poison and the pest control companies that use this product continue to Lie cocerning this product called Avitrol.
They will tell Lies such as this chemical Avitrol is used to scare birds away, and the pest control companies continue to bolster there lies saying pest birds such as Pigeons and Starlings carry diseases and viruses all to make a buck.
Humans also mass re-produce, Humans also carry viruses and diseases, So according to the pest control companies and the Makers of the killer chemical Avitrol, maybe it would be a fair statement that both would use this poison to kill humans if allowed to do so.
Maybe both entities should start trying to cure some of these diseases and or viruses they claim the pest bird's carry instead of trying to erdaticate them through Genocidal means.

Avitrol
http://www.avitrol.com/GrainFAQ/index.php
http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/UWS/BrdCtrl/AvitrlLbl.htm

4-AMINOPYRIDINE (AVITROL)
AVAILABLE FORMS
Four aminopyridine (4-AP) is an acutely toxic pesticide developed by Phillips Petroleum Company and marketed in 1963 as an avicide under the name "Avitrol". The manufacturer considers this a bird "repellent".
It is marketed as a poison bait containing corn, wheat, sorghum, or peanut butter with 0.03% to 1% 4-AP. It is available as concentrate of 25% or 50% 4-AP cut with powdered sugar.
CLINICAL EFFECTS
Doses near the LD 50 in mammals produce a usual sequence of symptoms: hyperexcitability, salivation, tremors, muscle incoordination, convulsions, and cardiac or respiratory arrest. Initial symptoms occur within 10 to 15 minutes progressing rapidly to death in 15 minutes to 4 hours.
Two adult males ingested about 60mg (0.6mg/kg) 4-AP dissolved in about 180 ml of water. Both reported almost immediate abdominal discomfort, developed nausea and vomiting, weakness, dizziness, and intense diaphoresis over the next 5 - 15 minutes. Both patients were found to have a metabolic acidosis, one suffered a severe tonic-clonic seizure and respiratory arrest.
RANGE OF TOXICITY
The acute toxicity of 4-AP has been studied in several bird and mammal species [9]:
 
Species   LD 50 (mg/kg)        
Mouse
Rat
Dog
Chicken
Cowbird   
Oral
-
20
4
15
< 1   
Parenteral
8
7
3.5
-
-   

What you can do to stop these horrors done unto animals at the hands of such companies such as the Phillips Patroleum Comapny and Pest control companies that use the Poison Avitrol.
Avitrol and other Avicides


When people contact pest control companies for advice on how to resolve conflicts with birds, operators often recommend using avicides, or bird poisons, like Avitrol, DRC-1339, and others to “control” bird populations. Companies often tell potential customers that Avitrol and other avicides are “flock-dispersing agents” that “scare” birds away from areas where they are not wanted. They’ll even tell customers that these products are humane, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Avicides like Avitrol are acutely toxic and cause birds and other animals to suffer immensely. Avitrol attacks and impairs birds’ nervous systems causing birds who ingest the poison to become disoriented and exhibit erratic flight and tremors and suffer violent convulsions for hours before they finally succumb to the effects of the toxin. Furthermore, “nontarget” species, such as protected songbirds, often perish from eating the tainted baits, and predators such as raptors, foxes, hawks, cats, and dogs die from secondary poisoning after feeding on the dead or dying birds. Wildlife pathologists have demonstrated over and over again that protected and endangered birds, including red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons, die as a result of ingesting the remains of pigeons and other birds poisoned with Avitrol. For these reasons, in August 2000, New York Governor George Pataki signed a bill banning the use of Avitrol in New York City. In addition to New York City, San Francisco, California, and most recently, Boulder, Colorado, have worked together with PETA and other animal protection groups to restrict or prohibit the use of Avitrol and other avicides, but these cruel, indiscriminant poisons should be illegal everywhere!

Not only is poisoning birds cruel, it’s a very ineffective way to resolve perceived problems with birds. As long as areas remain attractive or accessible to birds, more birds will simply move in from surrounding areas to fill the newly vacant niches, resulting in perpetual, vicious kill cycles. Netting, porcupine wire, frightening devices, and other easily obtainable products can be used to prevent birds from roosting in areas where they are not wanted. Removing birds is, at best, a temporary and wasteful solution to problems with birds, but the Avitrol Corporation, nuisance wildlife control operators, and pest control companies refuse to reveal this fact to potential customers because the only thing that the use of poison guarantees is repeat business!
What You Can Do
If you find a bird showing signs of poisoning or suffering from convulsions, transport the animal to a veterinarian immediately. If he or she determines that the bird has been poisoned, contact your local animal control bureau immediately.

Also, all birds and their nests, with the exception of pigeons, starlings, grackles, and English house sparrows, are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). If you or anyone else has witnessed anyone intentionally or unintentionally poisoning or harming protected birds, please contact your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Law Enforcement agents immediately so that they can initiate an investigation and charge those responsible with MBTA violations.

Ask your local legislators to introduce ordinances prohibiting poisons like Avitrol.

Report any Pigeon poisonings to http://www.picas.org/
Resources
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Law Enforcement Offices

Apparently there are those that UNDERSTAND what this poison does.
http://www.azpest.com/birdcontrol/avitrol.html
A pest control company and there LIES.
http://www.toropest.com/bird_avitrol_baiting.html
A staement taken off a site
I received an email concerning the poisoning of "pest" species using
avitrol around some South Farm animal units.  After work I drove around the
area of the Dairy place and saw approximately 15 dead male COWBIRDS and 1
STARLING.  The farthest dead bird was 1/4 mile away from the feeding
area.  All the dead birds were on the road or gravel parking lots, and
roads.  I did not see any in the fields or yards, but they may not have
been visible.  Interestingly, the usual huge flocks of cowbirds, pigeons,
house sparrows, and starlings were not around the dairy area, but it was
late and they may have gone to roost, or the avitrol ran them off.  I will
keep an eye on the area as I can.  I have provided a link to the commercial
avitrol website http://www.avitrol.com.  Supposedly, according to the email
there is little risk of secondary poisoning of scavengers as it metabolizes
quickly.  Most migrants and non target birds would not feed where they put
this, however I have seen Savanna Sparrows, and Lark Sparrows, and Indigo
Buntings, and Song Sparrows in the area previously. Lastly, as I was
snooping around the Dairy Research area, in full view of a U of I Police
cruiser I may add, a deer sauntered by right through the area and seemed so
not bothered by me or any of the other traffic nearby.   Rhetta Jack,
Springfield and Champaign
https://mail.prairienet.org/pipermail/birdnotes/2007-October/003727.html
Continues

 
An Appeal to Wildlife Rehabilitators from The Humane Society of the United States             


By Kevin Deutsch
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
WEST PALM BEACH — If Marvin the Falcon becomes more picky about his prey, you can blame the hallucinogenic corn.
For 10 years, pest control workers have fed the pesky pigeons that roost on the courthouse roof kernels of corn mixed with a hallucinogenic agent designed to scare them away.
The drug debate
Avitrol repels birds by affecting a few members of a flock, causing them to flap their wings, vocalize and convulse.
Their distress signals other birds to leave the site.
Audubon Society officials have said Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey if they ingest carcasses of affected birds.
Some courthouse workers are worried the chemical could hurt or even kill Marvin, a pigeon-eating peregrine falcon that has become the "mascot" of the courthouse's 11th floor.
"He's such a beautiful bird, and I'm hoping it won't affect him," said Rick Hussey, the court operations manager. "He's about a foot tall, and bulky. He gets real close, stays up there all day hunting for pigeons and different things. It's such a nice sight to see, especially at work. We don't want to lose him."
Some call the falcon Marvin in honor of the late Judge Marvin Mounts, whose old courtroom is closest to the 11th-floor ledge where the falcon resides. Marvin occasionally leaves behind a pigeon carcass or two, Hussey said, and his eating exploits commonly draw crowds that include courthouse deputies, a bailiff and Judge Edward Garrison.
"We're all fans of his," Hussey said. "If he eats pigeons who eat this stuff, what happens to him?"
The chemically laced feed is put on the courthouse rooftop once a month. It has reduced the number of "nuisance" pigeons known to leave droppings and attract rats, said Horst Haeusser, facilities manager at the downtown governmental center.
Haeusser said he thinks the corn is treated with 4-Aminopyridine, commonly marketed as Avitrol, which has been banned in several cities. Officials with Avitrol Corp. could not be reached for comment.
The use of Avitrol has drawn criticism from bird advocates. Avitrol-treated corn bait affects a few members of a flock, and their distress signals other birds to leave the site.
Birds that react and alarm a flock usually die, and other wildlife feeding on the corn also may be killed, the product label says.
Audubon Society officials have said Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey - including peregrine falcons - if they ingest carcasses of birds that consumed it.
Haeusser said his department contracts with Tomasello Pest Control to put the corn on the rooftop of the courthouse.
"We've looked at it, and it's safe as far as we can tell," Haeusser said. "It's really just to scare the birds away. We do have pigeons that roost there, but we're trying to keep the numbers down."
Haeusser has noticed the falcon and always thought the pigeon remains he had seen on the roof were the work of Marvin, not the hallucinogenic agent.
"We're not trying to hurt the falcon," Haeusser said. "We're all for him."
When the pigeon problem arose a decade ago, other deterrents, including metal spikes, were tried with little success. The hallucinogenic corn was the "only one that really worked," Haeusser said.
Haeusser says his department has no plans to discontinue its use.
"I just hope they consider that bird," Hussey said. "I would hate to see him go away."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/11/14/m1a_pigeons_1114.html
http://birdadvocates.blogspot.com/2006/12/efforts-to-shoo-away-pigeons-spur-flap.html

[BrokenWing]

The current list of birds and other wildlife killed by Avitrol.
1. The Monk Parakeet
2. The Pigeon
3. The Dove
4. The domesticated Cat.
5. The Falcon
6. The Crow
7. The Wren
8. The Hawk
9. The Robin
10. The Starling
11. The Sea Gull
and the list goes on and on.
Clean up crews arrive wearing bio hazzard suits to clean up the dead birds that have fallen silent from the use of the killer poison called avitrol made by the Phillips Petroleum Company, dead birds not found are consumed by stray cats and or other preditors such as Falcons & Hawks.
There has been reported cases of humans becoming ill from this poison.
The EPA recently re-newed the permit to use this poison.

Continued


Poisoning Pigeons in the Park
By Asher Price | Thursday, January 11, 2007, 07:10 AM
The week has passed without any more birds falling mysteriously from the sky and without more peculiar scenes of space-aged Hazmatted officials plucking them from the pavement. As the great bird scare of 2007 grew less scary, we wondered just how do you go about killing birds, or at least get rid of them?
According to the parks and wildlife code, European starlings, English sparrows, and feral rock doves (better known as pigeons) “may be killed at any time and their nests or eggs may be destroyed.” A permit is not required to kill grackles — which were also among the dead found Monday — as long as they are “committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nusiance.”
While poison may have been the culprit in Monday’s bird kill, it should be used only as a last resort, say experts.
The easiest way to get rid of birds is good old soap and water while they are congregating on a tree limb, said Jack Ralph, the head of the kills and spills team at the state Department of Parks and Wildlife.
“Take some concentrated detergent and get a good heavy spray from a hose,” he said. “Get them when it’s cold out. It will wash out all their natural oils and they will freeze to death that night. You’ll clean the tree, get rid of the birds and fertilize the yard. Talk about a win-win-win.”
Russell Allen, who runs Ex-Pest of Austin, said he typically tries to “exclude” birds for clients by screening off favorite landing spots or lining them with spikes. Decoys sometimes work, too, and occasionally he will simply trap birds, hold onto them for a few days and then release them.
But poison is sometimes used.
Allen said he mixes untreated corn grain with poisoned grain from a company called Avitrol in a 19-to-1 ratio.
“All you want to do is affect four to five percent of the birds,” he said. “They’ll start flopping around and send distress signals that scare away the other birds.”
He said he suspected someone accidentally put only poisoned grains out for bird consumption.
In a section on their Web site titled “Rumors and Innuendo,” Avitrol notes that “Incorrect information has appeared on various Web Sites regarding Avitrol baits. Statements such as: Birds that consume Avitrol baits “scream in pain”; Avitrol baits “because of its status must undergo expensive testing and classification by each state”; “the product (Avitrol baits) recently became unavailable in California and may face similar challenges in other states”; and Avitrol elicits “screams of terror”. have appeared at various times and are all incorrect. We try to have such incorrect information corrected when it comes to our attention and urge you to come to Avitrol Corp. for information rather than relying on a third party, which may have less than scrupulous motives.”
While Avitrol might be trying to protect its reputation, leave it to the songwriter Tom Lehrer to be upfront about poisoning pigeons:
We’ve gained notoriety,
And caused much anxiety
In the Audubon Society
With our games.
They call it impiety,
And lack of propriety,
And quite a variety
Of unpleasant names.
But it’s not against any religion
To want to dispose of a pigeon.
So if Sunday you’re free,
Why don’t you come with me,
And we’ll poison the pigeons in the park.
And maybe we’ll do
In a squirrel or two,
While we’re poisoning pigeons in the park.
We’ll murder them all amid laughter and merriment.
Except for the few we take home to experiment. My pulse will be quickenin’
With each drop of strychnine
We feed to a pigeon.
It just takes a smidgin!
To poison a pigeon in the park.
Continued


Pesticide Application Forces Closing of Hospital Emergency Room
(Beyond Pesticides, August 2, 2006) A deadly rain of pigeons fell out of the sky in Schenectady, New York, on Thursday evening, after a pesticide application, forcing the closing of a local hospital emergency room.. According to ABC News, Ellis Hospital had contracted with a pest control company to dispose of a growing pigeon population on the roof of the hospital. The pigeons and their droppings posed a health hazard and a nuisance. The company, Rentokil, Inc., applied the avian pesticide Avitrol on July 28 in a mixture of corn and birdseed. The pesticide was supposed to poison a few birds whose erratic behavior and death would frighten off the rest of the flock. Instead, it caused twenty-eight pigeons to be killed and fall from the sky around the Ellis Hospital emergency room. "Birds were coming down like dive bombers," according to Fire Chief Robert Farstad.
The birds were noticed by local firefighters at the hospital for an unrelated reason; it was soon clear that they had been poisoned and steps had to be taken to protect citizens. the roads were closed in a one-block radius around the hospital to prevent pigeons from damaging cars and windshields. Further, the Emergency Room was closed to ambulance traffic from 9 to 11 p.m. and ambulances were diverted to other hospitals. It continued to remain open for walk-ins and current patients.
Emergency workers spent hours searching the hospital grounds for dead birds and putting them into red hazardous waste bags. Afterwards, workers were examined to make sure they were not harmed by the pesticide. Several other people were also decontaminated following the incident, but no reports of illness or injury have been heard so far. G. Jack Parisi, director of environmental health for Schenectady County, reported that several dead pigeons were taken to the DEC wildlife pathology lab for analysis. The remaining bodies were incinerated at a nearby animal shelter.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is looking into the possibility that the Avitrol was misapplied by Rentokil Inc. Rentokil issued a statement on Friday that the pesticide was applied according to regulations by an experienced and licensed applicator. The company plans to cooperate with the investigation. Avitrol has been banned in New York City but remains controversially legal in other parts of the state, and this incident has only fanned the flames.
Audubon New York states that, “Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks if they ingest carcasses of poisoned birds,” and has urged state officials to ban the pesticide and advocate alternative pigeon control. The Albany Times reports that the hospital had attempted alternatives such as loud noises and nest disposal before it turned to Avitrol, but has currently halted the application of the pesticide while reconsidering pigeon control methods. Audubon New York suggests the attachment of metal spikes to the pigeon roofing area, eliminating the place where they congregate, rather than using a poison such as Avitrol.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/news/daily_news_archive/2006/08_02_06.htm
Continued

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Banned Chemical (Avitrol) Kills Birds in Staten Island, NY
Banned toxin killed birds on S. Shore
Chemical that is used to ward off flocks was outlawed in New York
Friday, January 04, 2008
By MARK STEIN and DEBORAH YOUNG
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.
(see article)

The dozens of birds found dead in Great Kills and in Eltingville last month were killed by an overdose of a toxic chemical banned in New York City eight years ago, the city's Health Department announced last night.

A sampling of blackbirds from Great Kills and starlings from Eltingville were sent to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center in Ithaca, N.Y. a little over a week ago.

Researchers found the flock consumed a toxic dose of Avitrol, a chemical frightening agent used to remove birds from a given location.

The disturbing finding underscores that an area business or resident is using the banned chemical to deal with what they believe to be a nuisance.

Birds eating the treated bait, such as corn kernels, will emit distress and alarm cries and visual displays used by their species. This will frighten the flock and cause them to leave the site, according to the chemical maker's Web site.

In 2000, then Gov. George Pataki banned use of the drug in the city.

One of the reasons for the ban was due to the cruel effects of the chemical.

Avitrol attacks and impairs a birds' nervous system and causes them to become disoriented and exhibit erratic flight and tremors and suffer violent convulsions for hours before they die. Bird-eating predators such as foxes, hawks, cats and dogs die from secondary poising after feeding on the dead or dying birds.

In addition to New York City, Avitrol is banned in San Francisco, California and much of Europe.
Approximately 50 birds were first discovered on Dec. 21 along Wiman Avenue in Great Kills. On Christmas Eve, seven starlings were found dead on the corner of Richmond Avenue and Amboy Road, Eltingville.

Earlier yesterday, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced that crows that have turned up dead across New York -- sometimes in groups as large as 100 -- were killed by a virus.

The DEC said the strain of avian reovirus that caused the deaths of birds in six counties upstate was not the cause of the mysterious deaths of the Island birds.

Hundreds of birds in Albany, Dutchess, Jefferson, Montgomery, Orange and Steuben counties have died this winter of infections caused by a strain of avian reovirus that attacks birds' intestinal systems and is spread through bird fecal matter.

Unlike West Nile virus, the reovirus isn't likely to spread to humans, said state wildlife pathologist Ward Stone. And the virus is not related to the avian flu, which has spread across large swaths of Asia and has caused fear of a human epidemic.

Earlier yesterday, Islanders were mystified by the sudden die-off of birds here. They're keeping their eyes trained on the sky. "Nobody knows what's going on," said Robert Cardinali, when he called the Advance Sunday morning, concerned about the massive flock of crows that appeared on his block at Fieldway and Greencroft Avenues. "I've lived here 11 years and never has this happened. This isn't too far from where the other birds died, that's why all the neighbors are outside watching this and videotaping."

Although the city Department of Health does not typically respond to reports of fewer than 10 dead animals, samples from that die-off were also collected to be necropsied.

Some residents in the area said they have encountered dead birds near that corner for years, and speculate the deaths might be caused by poison or electrocution.
Posted by New York Bird Club at 10:17 AM 0 comments
Concerns: Avitrol, Department of Environmental Conservation, Staten Island NY