Ground squirrels need further reprieve from city plan

Do you remember last year, when the City of Winnipeg wanted to gas ground squirrels to death in their homes because they dig holes in parks and fields?

Thankfully the bid was nixed by the province, after much pressure from animal advocates and the public.

“We rallied over 6,000 emails last year, and the province rejected the city’s pesticide permit!” reads a recent social media post by animal advocacy group Manitoba Animal Save.

Advocates celebrated the animals’ reprieve last spring, and welcomed the opportunity for alternative solutions to be explored.

However, since then it seems the months that should have been spent researching humane solutions have instead been used to seek arguably worse methods of killing.

Now, animal advocates are once again calling on officials to put a stop to it, and calling on the public to let their voices be heard before the comment period deadline of Jan. 29.

Last year’s decision by the province to not grant Winnipeg a permit to use sulfur gas bombs known as “Giant Destroyer” to kill ground squirrels, was one grounded in both compassion and science.

Experts noted that gas bombs cause prolonged suffering and fail to account for burrow complexity.

Yet here we are again at an ethical crossroads, deciding how we as Winnipeggers want to share our city with the wild animals that call our home their home, too.

It’s a decision that goes far beyond “pest control,” as the new plan involves two methods that advocates are calling out as exceedingly cruel.

One of those methods involves the use of anticoagulant bait containing chlorophacinone that city staff would place directly into burrow systems.

When consumed, the toxin interferes with the animals’ ability to clot blood, causing progressive weakness, tremors and loss of co-ordination, before eventual slow death from internal hemorrhaging. The method is also indiscriminate, with the potential to harm other animals.

“Even cats and dogs would be at risk of being poisoned, whether by consuming the baits or the poisoned bodies of ground squirrels,” says Kaitlyn Mitchell, a Winnipeg-based lawyer and director of legal advocacy for Animal Justice. “Baits would leave ground squirrels and other animals to suffer for days, dying slow and excruciating deaths as they bleed out internally.”

The other method proposed by the city involves pumping the animals’ burrows with a foam called RoCon, that suffocates the undoubtedly distressed ground squirrels and their babies.

“It is difficult to imagine a more cruel, reckless and unscientific approach to ground squirrel management.” says Mitchell of both proposed methods.

The Winnipeg Humane Society is also concerned about the city’s decision, says Krista Boryskavich, director of animal advocacy and legal and government affairs. “We have been working with the city to encourage an update of city policies and guidelines around pest management for all species, to make clear that the city favours humane and ethical methods, with a preference for non-lethal methods, such as live trapping or exclusion methods, wherever possible,” she says.

Non-lethal alternatives to poisoning ground squirrels have long been available.

This includes simple habitat modifications, such as filling in burrows in high-risk areas (after breeding season and when burrows are empty) and adjusting vegetation, like cutting long grasses, to make sites less attractive for future digging.

Also, encouraging natural predators, where appropriate, such as by installing raptor perches or nesting boxes can help deter ground squirrels from burrowing in an area, and it can help regulate populations over time using ecological balance instead of harmful chemicals.

Ultimately, the focus should be on long-term prevention, co-existence and minimizing suffering, rather than simply defaulting to cruelty.

Winnipeggers have already shown that we care, and that our voices matter. The province’s rejection of the cruel gas plan last year proves that when compassion and science lead, policy can change. It’s time to demand the same again, now.

“Winnipeg City Hall should be listening to public concern and scientific experts, instead of approving plans to once again poison animals in shared public areas,” says Danea Tonge, an organizer with Manitoba Animal Save. “Winnipeg residents expect urban wildlife management that prioritizes animal welfare, long-term planning, and humane, non-lethal solutions.”

Shared spaces demand shared responsibility, and how we treat the wildlife with whom we share our city says a great deal about who we are.

Before Jan. 29, let us urge our leaders to reject needless cruelty, and embrace humane, evidence-based solutions that really reflect the kind of city we choose to be.

Jessica Scott-Reid is a Winnipeg-based journalist and animal advocate. She is also a correspondent for Sentient Media, and a member of the Winnipeg Humane Society’s Animal Protection Committee.