Socio-Economic tools for rodent management research: recent experience from Africa and Asia

The scientific development of anti-coagulant rodenticides led to a complete
\ntransformation of rodent pest control services throughout the world. Suddenly it became
\neconomically practical to eradicate localised rodent populations in agricultural or urban
\nenvironments. The success of chronic poisons became doctrine among rodent experts.
\nHowever, understanding how rodent behaviour was exploited by chronic poisons, the
\ndifferences between chronic and acute poisons, and the way poisons need to be delivered,
\ncontinue to be poorly understood by the general public and people attempting to manage
\ntheir own rodent pest problems. The success of chronic rodenticides has its limitations
\nprescribed by human knowledge, socio-cultural context and, of course, by the nature of the
\nrodent pest problem experienced. In short, our best rodent management tools can and do
\nfail when individuals and experts do…