Press Release: No Rats Found, Lab Results on Six Bird Tests Received

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has received laboratory results on an initial group of bird carcasses collected on Rat Island in late May and Early April. Examination of the livers of two bald eagles, two glaucus winged gulls, one peregrine falcon, and one rock sandpiper all tested positive for the rodenticide brodifacoum. We are in the process of analyzing all of the viable bird remains and tissue samples collected, in order to more fully understand the cause of mortalities and more effectively plan future operations in the Aleutians. Results will be released when they are available. In addition, soil and water samples were collected, and will be analyzed to more fully understand the potential movement of the rodenticide into, and degradation from, the ecosystem