Toxic bait – a horrible death for pets and wild animals
Toxic bait kills indiscriminately – Toxic bait is still used in many countries internationally. As a result, hundreds of thousands of pets and wild animals die horrible, painful deaths every year.
 Toxic bait consists of meat, fish or fruit laced with strychnine or agricultural chemicals such as Carbofuran. Depending on the size of the animal and the amount of poison ingested, it can take hours of painful cramps before the animal dies.
Spain leads the European field in the illegal use of toxic bait: between 1990 and 2006 over 13,000 poisoned animals were found. The total number of toxic bait victims is estimated to be about 150,000. The vast landscapes of Spain make it difficult to discover the small toxic baits as well as poisoned animals.
Thousands of strays and wild animals can be saved from death by poisoning! FOUR PAWS is supporting the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) in the ”Antidote” project against the illegal use of poisoned bait in Spain.
Project against toxic bait
FOUR PAWS is supporting the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) in its fight against the treacherous death by poisoning.
By means of the SOS-Poison-Hotline, fast rescue missions, education programmes and the prosecution of those who use toxic bait the “Antidote” project against illegal baits in Spain can save immeasurable numbers of animals from a horrible death.
SOS-Poison-Hotline
 The telephone hotline is manned 24 hours a day. Trained staff provide concerned callers with advice and help, as well as passing the information concerning the toxic bait on to the environmental police force SEPRONA and/or environmental agents immediately. Thanks to the free service approximately 1,000 toxic baits could be removed before animals came to harm.
Legal assistance
The criminal prosecution of users of toxic bait is important, both as a direct solution and as a warning to other poisoners. Lawyers of the VCF assist in prosecutions of toxic-bait-layers from an animal welfare and species preservation perspective. They also publicise verdicts and penalties, leading to a reduction of toxic bait cases at national level.
Education programmes
The VCF offers training programmes about toxic bait for members of the Spanish environmental police, as well as the forestry and nature conservation authorities. These courses take place at the VCF’s nature conservation centre. Farmers, hikers and tourists can also take advantage of the comprehensive information provided. Additional focus is placed on educating children, as they are also at risk from toxic bait.
The VCF also uses the opportunity provided by conferences, information days hosted by educational institutions and environment trade fairs to recruit volunteers to participate in anti-toxic-bait activities. The aim is to create a nationwide network of volunteers to provide regular patrols.
The comprehensive education and training programmes can pre-emptively prevent large numbers of poisonings.
Further Information:
“Antidote”-project of the Vulture Conservation Foundation
Help with your donation
Help us to save thousands of pets and wild animals from a tortuous death! Please support our work with a donation.
Thank you very much!
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