Rat Poison Spill Threatening Sea Life Off New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Sea creatures and birds are at risk after 18 tons of rat poison spilled into the sea at one of the world’s most famous feeding grounds for whales, dolphins and seals, conservation officials said Thursday.

But they said there had been no immediate large-scale damage from the bright-green poison pellets, which fell into the sea from a truck that jackknifed on a coastal highway Wednesday near Kaikoura on New Zealand’s South Island.

Kaikoura is one of the few places on Earth where whales can be seen feeding near the shore year-round. It is home to large concentrations of dolphins and seals.

Local media reported that the poison was to be used in a Conservation Department program. Rats are not native to New Zealand but came aboard foreign ships and have caused damage to the islands’ fauna--particularly the kakapo, the world’s only flightless nocturnal parrot.