Wild pigs in California run in neon blue inside, warn the managers

An unexpected exhibition in Roddenticide turns the blue of the wild pigs of California, according to state authorities.

“I’m not talking about a little blue,” said Dan Burton, owner of a wildlife control company in Salinas, California, Los Angeles Times. “I’m talking about blue neon, blue blue.”

Burton was one of the first trappers to discover that local wild pigs had become blue inside. A subsequent investigation By California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) found that pigs had consumed the rodenticide Diphacinone anticoagulant, a poison used by farmers to control populations of unwanted rats, mice, squirrels and other small animals. These substances often contain coloring to identify them as poison, reported the CDFW, which probably explains how pigs found themselves with blue muscles and fat.

Burton’s own surveys have revealed that poisoned pigs seemed to frequent stations of squirrel bait, which local farmers used to control the populations of squirrel targeting their cultures. However, since the poisoned bait had tiny doses of diphacinone, the pigs, despite becoming blue, did not act externally.

Eating animals poisoned by this rodenticide could cause secondary exhibition to the poison, said the CDFW. As such, the agency warns hunters to consume no wild animals with signs of blue contamination and to report any observation of these animals to civil servants. Overall, the agency advised hunters to exercise additional caution in areas with rats control programs, as it is also possible that the animals exposed are not necessarily blue.

“Hunters should be aware that game meat, such as wild pig, deer, bear and geese, could be contaminated if this game animal has been exposed to rodenticides,” said Ryan Bourbor, coordinator of pesticide investigations in CDFW, in the press release.

This is not the first time that managers have identified wild pigs poisoned by the Rat poison. In 2018, a study By the CDFW, found traces of rodenticide in approximately 8.3% of wild pigs identified in agricultural or residential areas with rats control programs. Other research from 2011 And 2023Respectively, have noted that the cooking of poisoned meat with Diphacinone has not eliminated contamination, and people and animals who consume meat can have signs of rodenticide intoxication, such as lethargy.

In 2024, California prohibited the use of Diphacinone, with exceptions for specific cases on certified sites, within the framework of the legislation intended to protect fauna against involuntary poisoning. CDFW asks anyone who meets wild animals with blue fats or fabrics to report his observations to the agency to (protected by e-mail) or (916) 358-2790.