Utility workers in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, have begun spreading poison to kill rats near residential areas and public spaces, prompting concern about visible red granules in easily accessible locations.
Residents are concerned that stray animals, birds, and children could be exposed to the poison, which has also been found in parks that serve as habitats for Almaty’s symbolic squirrels.
The Almaty mayor’s office insists that the poison poses no risk to people or most animals, noting that it contains bitter-tasting bromadiolone to deter non-target species and requires multiple granules for effective poisoning.
City officials acknowledge some risk to animals but emphasize that the dosage is small, rats are the primary consumers, and the bait’s bitterness usually deters other animals, although not rats. Poison effects appear after several days.
