Birds replace toxic chemicals in ridding fields of mice

摘要

Instead of using chemicals, farmers are now using barn owls and kestrels to reduce the destructive population. A national project to raise owls and kestrels that eat the small rodents in agricultural fields has been started by Tel Aviv University, theSociety for the Protection of Nature in Israel and the Agriculture and Environmental Protection ministries. (Jerusalem Post Mar 11, 2009). The official launch - the first of its kind in the world to receive governmental funding - is based on the naturalpredators of voles. The launch of the national project, which originated 10 years ago as an experiment in the Beit She'an Valley, coincides with the birds' nesting season. The project for natural extermination of rodent pests in fields around the country is expected to make our food more healthful and prevent dangerous chemicals from seeping into the soil and aquifers.