Raccoons, skunks invade city

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Lincoln Poulin says his company has seen a 15 per cent increase in calls regarding raccoons and skunks in the last year.

One city councillor wants Winnipeg to do more to get rid of nuisance raccoons and skunks after a new report found pest control and conservation officials trap more than 1,200 of the animals within city limits every year.

Council's protection and community services chairwoman, Paula Havixbeck (Charleswood-Tuxedo), said she's concerned people and pets could be harmed by raccoons and skunks that roam the city if Winnipeg doesn't take action to tackle what may be a growing problem.

A city report, released Wednesday, revealed that on average, about 900 raccoons and 350 skunks are trapped in Winnipeg annually.

The report said Manitoba Conservation euthanizes about 440 raccoons every year, while the larger private pest-control companies in Winnipeg also trap about 440 raccoons and 350 skunks. Private pest companies destroy about half the animals, and the other half are released outside city limits, the report said.

Winnipeg's animal-services agency has a skunk trap rental program that was used 85 times in 2010. Skunks are classified as vermin in Manitoba, and the city's animal-services agency also helps capture skunks showing signs of erratic behaviour or illness.

Winnipeg does not have a municipally subsidized raccoon program to help trap and euthanize the nuisance critters.

"I think we should be doing way more than we are," Havixbeck said. "That's a lot of raccoons in a year."

Havixbeck said she would like to get more information on the size of the raccoon and skunk populations in Winnipeg and whether they have grown in recent years. She said other cities, such as New York, have established programs where residents can report nuisance animals, and animal services will come and trap them and take them away.

Council's protection and community services committee will discuss the issue at a meeting this morning.

Winnipeg's city administration examined wildlife control in other Canadian cities and found Regina is the only city that offers a full-service program. The Saskatchewan capital handles about one skunk call and 15 raccoon calls every year, and their pest management department has an officer who traps problem animals and releases them in parks.

Toronto offers a trap-rental program for raccoons, and residents can relocate the animals by themselves as long as it is within one kilometre from where it was trapped. Edmonton has a trap rental and pickup program for both racoons and skunks.

Lincoln Poulin, general manager of Poulin's Pest Control Services, said his company has seen a 15 per cent increase in calls regarding skunk and raccoon removals in the last year. He said he thinks the increase is due to a jump in the population and the fact new housing developments have attracted the wildlife.

He said skunks have been removed from new housing developments along Lagimodiere Boulevard and areas close to the Brady Road Landfill. Poulin said skunks typically like to burrow under low-lying decks, front steps or garden sheds.

He said his company has removed raccoons from attics and chimneys, where they have caused a considerable amount of damage, including in one St. Vital home where siding and insulation had to be taken off to remove raccoon babies.

Poulin said the wildlife population could become an even bigger problem next spring if the mild winter temperatures continue.

Havixbeck said she routinely receives calls from constituents about nuisance raccoons and skunks in the spring and fall, and most people likely cannot afford to pay a private pest-control company to remove them.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

City hall business:

-- Committee votes against infill development: City centre community committee voted against a proposal to rezone the Wildewood Club property to allow for a 65-unit condo building. During a five-hour public hearing Tuesday night, area residents expressed concern the plan required the club's curling rink, swimming pool and golf pro shop to be demolished, and the zoning change could allow for additional commercial ventures in the neighbourhood. The committee's decision could still be overturned by council's property or executive policy committees.

-- Tree house appeal: A Charleswood resident will appeal the city's decision to squash a plan to build a 4.6-metre-high tree house. The city rejected Jules Freis' application to build the tree house, saying it creates a safety issue for children, who could break bones, sustain concussions or sustain more serious injuries from a fall. Freis is slated to appeal the decision at a meeting this morning.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 5, 2012 B1