Ground squirrels are an iconic prairie species. These intelligent and curious animals live in underground burrow communities in short grass prairies, as well as some urban and suburban environments.
Sadly, the City of Winnipeg is planning to use “Giant Destroyer” brand sulfur gas bombs in athletic fields and parks to massacre ground squirrels in their burrows. This is neither humane nor effective. The City stopped using sulfur gas in 2014 following public outcry and expert advice, which led to ground squirrel management guidelines. Now, without public input or independent expert review, Winnipeg is poised to change course and bring back this outdated and cruel method, ignoring humane and more effective alternatives.
Cruel & Ineffective
Sulfur bombs release toxic sulfurous gases into burrows, killing ground squirrels and all other animals present. Even when all openings are closed and the product is used according to label instructions, it can cause a long and excruciating death that takes up to an hour or more.
But burrows often have multiple escape entrances, and applicators commonly miss some of them. This renders the cruel poison even less effective at causing a quick death, and ultimately kills only some animals, leading to repeated gassings. In Winnipeg, the City plans to poison squirrels in target areas each month beginning on May 20, 2025 and lasting until October.
This timing is also extremely problematic in light of ground squirrels’ life cycle. Male ground squirrels emerge from hibernation in the first to second week of March, with females emerging in the weeks after. By May, many young will already be born, with their mothers nursing babies in nest burrows. Gassing the squirrels in May will result in the slow, painful deaths of not just adult animals, but entire families. After June, many adult squirrels are already back in hibernation, making the continued use of lethal gassing essentially pointless—it will kill only the young of the year, 70-90% of whom will not survive their first hibernation anyway.
Better Solutions Exist
A more effective approach would be to hire experienced biologists or other experts to live-trap animals if absolutely necessary in March, before young are born. Yet the only alternative option that appears to be under consideration by the City is the use of carbon dioxide to gas these animals—also cruel, lethal, and unacceptable.
Ultimately, humans have a responsibility to coexist with the animals who share our communities. Rather than reactively killing ground squirrels each year after they’ve already established burrows and reproduced, the City should invest in long-term strategies to prevent overpopulation in problematic areas. Habitat modification, public education, and timely, humane intervention are key.
Take Action for Ground Squirrels!
It’s not too late to stop this harmful plan to kill ground squirrels with “Giant Destroyer” sulfur gas bombs. Though the City did not consult the public, there is a mandatory 15-day provincial consultation period under Manitoba’s Environment Act. This provides one final window of opportunity for concerned community members to speak up for squirrels. Tell Manitoba that gassing ground squirrels and their young is unacceptable, and that the City should take a step back and consult independent experts to develop a humane, science-based, and sustainable plan to manage ground squirrel populations in 2025 and into the future.
Winnipeg has the opportunity to lead with compassion and science. Let’s not squander it by reviving a failed and cruel strategy from the past.
