Media Contacts:
Mark Surls, Colorado & Northern Rockies Coordinator, Project Coyote
P: 303-886-2141 E: msurls@projectcoyote.org
Alli Henderson, Southern Rockies Director and Senior Attorney
Center for Biological Diversity
P: 970-309-2008 E: ahenderson@biologicaldiversity.org
Kim Meneo, Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Animal Welfare Institute
P: 202-446-2116 E: kim@awionline.org
Bill will curb rodenticide use linked to child and pet poisonings while promoting proven, non-toxic pest control alternatives.
DENVER, CO January 28, 2026 – To reduce the use of harmful toxic chemicals across Colorado, State Senators Lisa Cutter (20th District) and Cathy Kipp (14th District) and Representative Elizabeth Velasco (57th District) introduced a bill today, SB26-062, that would prohibit the widespread sale, distribution, and use of rodenticides and glue traps and promote effective alternative methods for controlling rodent populations.
Rodenticides are a broad category of chemicals used to poison rats, mice, gophers, moles, and other rodents. They cause painful illness and death in both the targeted wildlife and animals that eat them, including coyotes, foxes, bobcats, owls, and eagles. These carnivores play a critical role in maintaining healthy environments and a balance among diverse species, including by naturally limiting rodent populations.
“For far too long, highly toxic chemicals have been the go-to method of rodent control, instead of the last resort. Today we know they cause more harm than good and there are other ways to address the causes of rodent issues,” said Mark Surls, Colorado & Northern Rockies Coordinator for Project Coyote. “This bill is essential to protect children, pets, wildlife, and public health across the state.”
Children who accidentally eat rodenticide bait, which comes in bright colors, as well as pets who consume bait or poisoned rodents can suffer from vomiting, internal bleeding, and neurological disturbances. Nearly 70% of rodenticide exposures in humans in 2023 involved children under age six. In addition, rodenticides are one of the leading causes of pet poisoning nationwide.
“As a veterinarian, I’ve witnessed far too many domestic and wild animals suffer agonizing, preventable deaths from these poisons,” said Christine Capaldo, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in Telluride. “It doesn’t matter who places them or where; once rodenticides are in the environment, they can injure or kill any species that encounters them, whether through direct ingestion or by eating a poisoned rodent.”
The bill allows rodenticide use to address a public health emergency. It also ensures that before using rodenticides, pest control companies will implement non-chemical integrated pest control strategies with a proven track record, such as physical barriers to rodent entry, electronic monitoring, and proper food and garbage management.
“I have been rehabilitating wildlife for over a decade and I strongly support the passing of this bill. Rodenticide poisoning causes unnecessary and entirely preventable suffering to wildlife, pets, children, and our communities,” said Emily Davenport, Founder and Executive Director with the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance. “Similarly, glue traps are indiscriminate killers that cause prolonged suffering for small animals and frequently lead to secondary injuries or deaths of larger animals like hawks and falcons.”
With passage of the bill, Colorado would join a group of states leading the way to restrict the use of rodenticides. Several other states, including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington have moved forward with similar legislative action, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposal in 2024 to phase out certain types of rodenticides.
“This bill is an important step toward protecting Colorado’s wildlife and keeping children and pets from being poisoned, too,” said Alli Henderson, Southern Rockies director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Rat poisons cause a slow, gruesome death by internal hemorrhaging, and they don’t just kill rodents. Across the country these poisons regularly kill owls, raptors, and other animals that prey on rodents and keep rat populations under control. Colorado needs to protect our children and animals by passing this bill and banning widespread use of rat poisons.”
For further details about rodenticides, view our rodenticide factsheet and Coyote Friendly Communities: Deadly Rodenticides Video.
Project Coyote is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit. Project Coyote’s mission is to promote compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife—particularly North America’s wild carnivores—through education, science, advocacy, and coalition building. Led by scientists, educators, and wildlife advocates, Project Coyote works to change policies and perceptions to protect wild carnivores and foster ethical, ecologically sound stewardship. Learn more at: www.projectcoyote.org
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.8 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Learn more at www.biologicaldiversity.org
The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.
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