Overview

• The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that wild pigs in Monterey County ingested pesticide bait containing the anticoagulant rodenticide Diphacinone, causing bright blue flesh.
• Officials extended advisories to hunters of deer, bears and geese, cautioning that consuming any game with blue or discolored tissue risks rodenticide exposure.
• A statewide surveillance program has been launched to identify contamination hotspots and evaluate potential ecological and human health impacts of Diphacinone bioaccumulation.
• Although a 2024 ban curbed most agricultural uses of Diphacinone, exemptions for bait stations continue to expose non-target wildlife to the toxic chemical.
• Historical data, including a 2018 University of Nebraska study, documented rodenticide residues in over 8 percent of wild pig samples and 83 percent of bear samples in California.