Wikimedia: Ground Squirrel
The squirrels at Finch Arboretum are becoming such a problem that they have called in for reinforcements. The city of Spokane has authorized the "Rodenator" to come and take care of the problem, in what is turning out to not only be a hot topic in the city, but a questionable one when it comes to animal rights.
The Rodenator Pro is advertised as something that can assist landowners with the removal of just about any underground burrowing pest, and the ground squirrels of Spokane, Washington are going to be the next target. By delivering a mixture of propane and oxygen into the tunnel or burrow of the underground animal, the squirrels are more or less going to be blown up.
When the Rodenator detonates the mixture of gases, it sends an instantaneous underground shock wave of a concussive force that is said to "eliminate" all of the pests. Not a good way to go, but they are claiming that it will be a safe way to eliminate the pests who have been posing a problem to residents of the area.
The Rodenator is going to cost the city of Spokane $2,000 to bring it in, and they expect it to take care of the problems at Finch Arboretum in a matter of days. Due to the ground squirrels digging holes, digging tunnels, eating tree roots, and potentially spreading disease, Spokane felt that it was time to act. Now ground squirrels in the area have something new to fear, and it is definitely not going to be a quiet extrication from the site.
The Rodenator is also expected to collapse all the tunnels that have been burrowed already, so that they can go about using the grounds where these squirrels have been living. Hundreds of squirrels will probably die as a result of this Rodenator, and reactions to whether there is a more humane treatment are becoming water cooler talk around the city of Spokane.
According to KREM, the Rodenator will be used all week long to remove all of the ground squirrels from Finch Arboretum.
Comments
Finch Arboretum has owned the rodenator for five years now and has been used every year for five years now. Get your facts strait before you write.
They have been doing this (with the "Rodenator") for a few years now and the squirrels come back each year. We need the parks dept to stop 'stretching the truth' and spouting cover-up propaganda and stop hiding behind the 'safety' of the people visiting the park as the excuse for the killing. They are upset because they fear some of the trees "they spend a significant amount of money on' could potentially be harmed. And so far? Ummmm... how many have? Why not work WITH nature and not against it? Isnt it a "park" after all?
If your that much against nature "parks dept" then why not just cover them all with astorturf and cement the edges!
Sick people. It may be efficient, but it is certainly inhumane. If this were proposed for eliminating feral cats, dogs, or wild horses, it would not be tolerated. And yet the ground squirrels are native species that have a role in the local ecosystem. I'm glad things like this are finally being given publicity due to the internet. Maybe they should turn the park from an arboretum full of exotic species to a native species interpretive park with educational value.
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