Assessing Potential Risk to Alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, from Nutria Control with Zinc Phosphide Rodenticide Baits

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2010-06, Vol.84 (6), p.698-702
• Main Authors: Witmer, Gary W, Eisemann, John D, Primus, Thomas M, O'Hare, Jeanette R, Perry, Kelly R, Elsey, Ruth M, Trosclair, Phillip L. III
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alligator mississippiensis; Alligators; Alligators and Crocodiles - growth & development; Alligators and Crocodiles - metabolism; Animals; Aquatic animals; Aquatic Pollution; Aquatic reptiles; Baits; Conservation of Natural Resources; dietary exposure; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Health; Food Chain; Louisiana; Myocastor coypus; nontarget organisms; pest control; Pesticides; Phosphines - toxicity; Pollution; predation; Residues; Risk Assessment; Rodent Control - methods; Rodentia - growth & development; Rodentia - metabolism; Rodenticides; Rodenticides - toxicity; Soil Science & Conservation; Toxicology; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Wetlands; Zinc; Zinc Compounds - toxicity; zinc phosphide
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-010-9974-3

Nutria, Myocastor coypus, populations must be reduced when they cause substantial wetland damage. Control can include the rodenticide zinc phosphide, but the potential impacts to American alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, must be assessed. The mean amount of zinc phosphide per nutria found in nutria carcasses was 50 mg. Risk assessment determined that a conservative estimate for maximum exposure would be 173 mg zinc phosphide for a 28 kg alligator, or 6.2 mg/kg. Probit analysis found an LD50 for alligators of 28 mg/kg. Our studies suggest that the use of zinc phosphide to manage nutria populations would pose only a small risk to alligators.