An initiative of Wildlife Projects through its Wildbnb Wildlife Habitat and Beneficial Wildlife programs
About Owls-eat-Rats
A biological approach
A biological approach
A biological approach
Imagine controlling rats on your property without having to rely on poisons.
Owls Eat Rats is part of a broader approach to on-farm biodiversity, using habitat and not chemicals, to support natural pest control. We work with farmers to explore how native predators like owls can help reduce the need for rodenticides while supporting broader ecological health on farm.
Healthy landscapes
A biological approach
A biological approach
Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides are highly effective at controlling rodents.
But the same mechanism that makes them effective is also what kills owls, the native predators that can help keep pest rodent numbers in-check.
Until now there haven’t been many viable alternatives, but we’re building one.
Our approach combines breeding
Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides are highly effective at controlling rodents.
But the same mechanism that makes them effective is also what kills owls, the native predators that can help keep pest rodent numbers in-check.
Until now there haven’t been many viable alternatives, but we’re building one.
Our approach combines breeding ecology, habitat creation, on-farm biodiversity, and monitoring technology.
It’s already working, but we’re still early in the process of understanding how, and where, it works best.
Where it works
Where it works
Where it works
We work with farmers committed to eliminating the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides and are interested in biological rodent controls.
The Owls-eat-rats partners are practical landholders who value biodiversity, want to explore alternatives and are open to being part of a system that’s still evolving.
Where the conditions a
We work with farmers committed to eliminating the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides and are interested in biological rodent controls.
The Owls-eat-rats partners are practical landholders who value biodiversity, want to explore alternatives and are open to being part of a system that’s still evolving.
Where the conditions are right, and the commitment is there, this approach can play a real role in re-balancing on-farm rodent control.
What we do
Where it works
Where it works
We design, install, and monitor purpose-built habitat to support on-farm predators, and specifically owls.
This includes nesting boxes, hunting roosts, ground rodent surveys and wildlife cameras to track activity and impact over time.
Each installation is tailored to the site.
We use field data and ecological understanding to give owls the b
We design, install, and monitor purpose-built habitat to support on-farm predators, and specifically owls.
This includes nesting boxes, hunting roosts, ground rodent surveys and wildlife cameras to track activity and impact over time.
Each installation is tailored to the site.
We use field data and ecological understanding to give owls the best chance to return, breed and establish long-term.
Our mission is to get the conditions right. After that, the owls take it from there.
Delivering the 'Environmental' in the ESG Framework
Delivering the 'Environmental' in the ESG Framework
Delivering the 'Environmental' in the ESG Framework
Owls Eat Rats is built on full transparency. When partners join the program, they start with a strong, honest sustainability story: they’re trialling a nature-based alternative to rodenticide, and they can talk about that from day one.
Over time, that story develops. Each season adds new monitoring data, field notes, and imagery from the h
Owls Eat Rats is built on full transparency. When partners join the program, they start with a strong, honest sustainability story: they’re trialling a nature-based alternative to rodenticide, and they can talk about that from day one.
Over time, that story develops. Each season adds new monitoring data, field notes, and imagery from the habitat sites — visible, tangible evidence of what’s happening on the ground. Partners receive regular reporting and high-quality images that help them communicate the journey clearly to investors, staff, and stakeholders.
Across the three-year cycle, the narrative shifts from “we’re testing a better way” to documented reductions in chemical use, supported by ecological monitoring and independent verification.
This is the value we offer: a transparent pathway from intention to measurable outcome, backed by real data, real images, and a process that doesn’t pretend to be further along than it is. Partners get an ESG journey that starts credible and ends quantifiable.
Rodenticide Transition Pathway
Delivering the 'Environmental' in the ESG Framework
Delivering the 'Environmental' in the ESG Framework
Rodent pressure has to be controlled, but the industry is stuck with a system that gives almost no feedback on what’s actually happening. SGARs add another layer of risk - they’re not legal for in-field use, they threaten compliance, and they kill the Barn Owls we rely on. For that reason, farms using SGARs can’t participate in Owls Eat R
Rodent pressure has to be controlled, but the industry is stuck with a system that gives almost no feedback on what’s actually happening. SGARs add another layer of risk - they’re not legal for in-field use, they threaten compliance, and they kill the Barn Owls we rely on. For that reason, farms using SGARs can’t participate in Owls Eat Rats.
Our approach is practical. We help growers design a staged transition: safer baiting options, third-party trapping, and rodent monitoring while owl colonies establish. It’s not about switching off poisons overnight - it’s about reducing reliance as natural predation builds. Over time, owls take on more of the suppression and rodenticides become a targeted, last-resort tool rather than a routine one.
To support this shift, we’re developing proper ground-survey tools with our research partners so growers can finally measure rodent pressure and make decisions based on real data. The goal is simple: a safer, evidence-led transition pathway where predation does the heavy lifting and rodenticides phase down responsibly.
