Bay Staters speak out in defense of wildlife

BOSTON (WWLP) - It's been a years-long battle at the State House: phasing out the use of anticoagulant rodenticides in Massachusetts.

On Monday, lawmakers and residents alike gathered once again to advocate for a bill that would get rid of these harmful chemicals in the Bay State.

Anticoagulant rodenticides work to curb excessive rodent populations by interfering with the activation of Vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting, causing mice and rats to experience internal bleeding over the course of several days before dying.

Predators who eat the dead or dying rodents then take on the rat poison second-hand. "They're killing predators, they're killing family pets. There's no safe way to administer these chemicals," said Attleboro Representative James Hawkins, who filed the bill.