Wild animals are a good indicator of environmental pollution
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Wild animals are a good indicator of environmental pollution that affects the entire ecosystem. Therefore, the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics and the Biotechnical Faculty, has decided to conduct a study to examine the amount of toxicants in the tissues of certain animal species in Slovenia.
The first study was conducted on foxes, where they checked for the occurrence of rodent control toxicants in their tissues. They found statistically higher concentrations of rodenticide pesticide residues with anticoagulant effects in the liver compared to similar studies in Europe and worldwide. This has revealed and highlighted a significant environmental issue of secondary poisoning of animals in our country and region.
The results of the study are linked with the results of a survey conducted among professionals in the disinfection, pest control, and deratization (DDD) activities, which demonstrate an increase in the use of increasingly toxic substances from the second generation of rodenticides, primarily due to the increased resistance of rodents to the less toxic and previously more commonly used substances.
The detected concentrations of rodenticides in animal tissues were correlated with regional and local urbanization and agronomic factors. The study results will contribute to the understanding of European ecosystem protection, as wild animals are not restricted by national borders.
The project contributes to environmental conservation, which is one of the fundamental priorities of the European Union. Nature and biodiversity have been protected by various laws for many years, which are now included in the broader framework of the European Green Deal, one of the six overarching priorities of the European Commission for the period 2019–2024.
In addition to members of the University of Ljubljana, the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, Ljubljana, and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Berlin, Germany, also participate in the research.
Link to the published scientific article in the journal Science of the Total Environment: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170400
Authors: Vesna Cerkvenik-Flajs, Detlef Schenke, Diana Žele-Vengušt, Simona Korenjak-Černe, Anton Perpar, and Gorazd Vengušt
