City of Winnipeg to use sulphur gas on ground squirrel population in 8 parks

Tessa Adamski · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The City of Winnipeg is readying to usage a sulphur state to power an overpopulation of Richardson crushed squirrels in eight parks this summertime — a method that immoderate carnal rights advocates accidental is inhumane. 

City workers switched to utilizing c monoxide to termination the rodents aft assemblage members raised concerns astir the sulphur state a decennary ago, but the metropolis recovered it was unsafe for unit and returned to utilizing the pesticide a fewer years back, said David Domke, who manages the city's parks and unfastened abstraction division.

Eight retired of 1,000 metropolis parks with the highest populations of crushed squirrels volition beryllium targeted starting May 20 to guarantee they tin safely beryllium utilized recreationally. The crushed squirrels make holes successful the ground, which tin beryllium a hazard for radical and their pets.

The parks to beryllium 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.
• Vince Leah Community Centre.

"It's truly astir nationalist information from our perspective. I don't deliberation we get any, you know, joyousness retired of undertaking these kinds of tasks. We bash truthful due to the fact that we consciousness we request to," Domke said.

These are the lone parks that volition beryllium targeted this summer, helium said.

The metropolis has antecedently tried controlling the colonisation by covering poison with peanut butter, but this method attracted non-targeted species, helium said. Workers person besides explored the anticipation of trap and release, which brought up the question astir wherever to merchandise the animals.

"No 1 truly wants them successful their ain backyard," helium said, adding that it could beryllium worse for the crushed squirrels to beryllium released successful a caller situation wherever they whitethorn not person the aforesaid resources.

Domke said sidesplitting the crushed squirrels is simply a arguable contented and metropolis workers are looking astatine different options to woody with the colonisation humanely successful the future, but for present they volition usage a pesticide called The Giant Destroyer followed by instantly covering the holes with sand. This volition forestall immoderate animals similar dogs oregon coyotes from eating an affected rodent that escaped a spread earlier it died.

Animal advocacy lawyer Krista Boryskavich astatine the Winnipeg Humane Society said non-lethal carnal power methods are preferable, but erstwhile that isn't possible, the radical encourages methods wherever decease is speedy to debar suffering oregon distress.

But she believes this isn't the lawsuit with use of The Giant Destroyer.

"The knowing that we person of this method of pest power is that it is not instantaneous, that it tin sometimes instrumentality up to an hr to really effect successful decease to the animal," Boryskavich said.

"So that's up to an hr of imaginable suffering, distress and that's provided that it's really reaching the animals that it's targeted to reach."

The Winnipeg Humane Society would similar the metropolis to prioritize utilizing non-lethal and humane methods successful the aboriginal specified arsenic utilizing a pesticide that kills the rodents instantly oregon done trapping and accordant spread covering arsenic a signifier of deterrence. 

Winnipegger Mikayla Mcnabb-Mary said she has mixed feelings astir the colonisation absorption program.

"I tin recognize similar it is becoming benignant of a pest thing, but they're truthful cute," she said. "To me, my family, we emotion them, we emotion seeing them. They bring america truthful overmuch joy."

Brad Nance, different nonmigratory successful Winnipeg, said helium understands however they could origin problems, but hopes there's a amended solution.

"When I spot them taking a locomotion I ever telephone retired and accidental 'hi member squirrel, however you doing?' You know, they supply large entertainment."

Last period Vivian Santos, the metropolis councillor for Point Douglas — where 4 of the targeted diversion fields are located — said she understands people's concerns astir sidesplitting the animals, but says the metropolis yet needs to support the information of radical and their pets.

The metropolis received a study of a canine that injured its limb by moving done a tract with galore holes successful the past.

"It's not an casual determination but I person to deliberation astir the younker and being capable to connection them affordable recreational spaces to beryllium utilized this summer," she said connected CBC's Information Radio with big Faith Fundal.

"Someone could really measurement successful a spread and interruption oregon sprain their ankle. That is simply a immense hazard the City of Winnipeg can't beryllium liable for and truthful we request to mitigate that risk."

The metropolis volition look into exploring different alternatives to sidesplitting the crushed squirrels specified arsenic c dioxide treatments, she said.