Ground squirrel cull in city parks put on hold

The City of Winnipeg campaign to kill ground squirrels, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday and continue until fall in eight parks and community centre fields, has been put on hold.

“The program is slightly delayed,” public works spokeswoman Julie Horbal Dooley said on Friday, adding she couldn’t say why it was postponed.

Horbal Dooley said the program had not been scuttled and would begin at some point.

Danae Tonge of the Manitoba Animal Save said she hopes city councillors can be convinced to stop the practice.

“It’s spring and the squirrels are with their young,” Tonge said. “One of our members has seen (Giant Destroyer) used before.

“The squirrels would crawl out of their burrows. They are dying and they are suffering. It’s a horrible way to go and it could take up to an hour before they die.”

The city used sulphur gas more than a decade ago, but discontinued the practice after public pressure.

Last year, the squirrel management program was put on hold after concerns were raised that the carbon monoxide machines being used were unsafe for employees. The city will continue researching other methods, including carbon dioxide, but will use sulfur gas in the meantime.

The parks to be targeted are: Charleswood Place, Theodore Niitzhotay Fontaine Park, Fairgrove Bay Park, Shaughnessy Park, Weston Memorial Community Centre, St. James Memorial Sports Park, Beryl Watts Park, and Vince Leah Community Centre.

City crews will revisit each park monthly to repeat the program.

Horbal Dooley said the city doesn’t know which order the parks will be treated.

“We will post signs 24 hours in advance to advise the public of planned treatment,” she said.

“We may be required to close a park to facilitate a safe and effective treatment, but this will be site-dependent. That said, the gas will primarily remain below ground. Any that escapes will quickly dissipate and not cause a detectable odour in the vicinity.”

Horbal Dooley said not all holes will be treated — because the tunnels are connected — and multiple staff will be on site to treat multiple holes at a time. The city has said it explored using other methods, including live traps, but found it would be impractical because it estimated the number of animals was in the thousands.

Tonge said she doesn’t understand why the city isn’t using more humane options including live trapping and relocation or drugs to prevent them from reproducing.

“It just feels we are going to use the cheapest, quickest, cruelest option,” she said. “We shouldn’t be letting them be born only to kill them. This is cruel and inhumane.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca