City's Pest Control Sparks Animal Welfare Concerns

Winnipeg has applied for provincial permission to deploy pesticides at 10 athletic fields to manage ground squirrel populations. The city cites damage to green spaces and safety hazards posed by rodent holes as reasons for this action. However, a biologist familiar with ground squirrels warns that the proposed pesticides, Rozol RTU and RoCon, are neither humane nor entirely effective. He explains that Rozol, an anticoagulant, can cause a slow death by internal hemorrhaging, while RoCon's effectiveness as a suffocating gas in complex burrow systems is questionable, potentially leading to prolonged suffering.

Animal welfare advocates echo these concerns, noting that anticoagulant baits could pose risks to other wildlife and companion animals. They highlight that the proposed treatment is "even worse than last year's proposal," which was rejected by the province for similar reasons. The city's application is open for public objections until January 28, with treatment planned between March 2 and October 30, primarily in March and April. This timing aims to reduce the adult population before the breeding season.

While the city considered live trapping, it cited animal stress and low post-release survival rates as deterrents. Advocates, however, suggest live trapping as a more humane option, despite potential higher costs. The community center managing one of the affected fields describes the ongoing battle against ground squirrel holes as "like playing Whac-a-Mole," underscoring the persistent nature of the problem.