{"id":8990,"date":"2013-06-23T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2013-06-23T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/?p=8990"},"modified":"2013-06-21T16:27:01","modified_gmt":"2013-06-21T20:27:01","slug":"ottowans-squirrel-deportation-raises-montreal-hackles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2013\/06\/23\/ottowans-squirrel-deportation-raises-montreal-hackles\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa squirrel deportation raises Quebec hackles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo:<\/a>

Photo: likeaduck<\/a>, Creative Commons, some rights reserved<\/p><\/div>\n

It happens time and time again. A\u00a0voracious\u00a0groundhog sets up near favorite flowers, or invades the veggie garden. Maybe a raccoon is raiding the compost. Compassion (or local law) forbids hot lead as a quick solution. Out comes the live trap and a one-way ride to an imagined “new home” in the countryside.<\/p>\n

The trouble with that is no one else wants your problem pest either. I’ve heard complaints from rural residents about vehicles cruising\u00a0around, doing the illicit dump. Kittens, rabbits, raccoons – they’ve seen it all and they are not amused. It’s very hard on the animal and (often) illegal as well.<\/p>\n

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That doesn’t stop the practice though.<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

This past Tuesday the Ottawa Citizen’s Tom Spears uncovered a mini cross-province skirmish<\/a> in which residents of Westboro (in Ottawa) have\u00a0allegedly\u00a0been trapping squirrels and driving them across the river hoping to impose permanent exile in Quebec. As Spears reports:<\/p>\n

Daniel Sylvester of Royal Avenue noticed a squirrel in his neighbour\u2019s humane trap recently and offered to let the squirrel go. He assumed the neighbour was trying to trap raccoons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018No, I\u2019m trying to catch them all and bring them to Quebec because they can\u2019t cross the bridge.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seemed pretty humorous and it seemed very Westboro,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And what does that last crack mean? Hmm. What can I say about Westboro without getting into trouble?<\/p>\n

Well, it’s a very nice area<\/a>.\u00a0(Though I gather some think it would be even nicer minus the squirrels.)<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>

Photo: DJHeini<\/a>, Creative Commons, some rights reserved<\/p><\/div>\n

Westboro is\u00a0centrally located\u00a0near the Ottawa River. It boasts a popular beach park<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0nice bike paths. The area has the income and inclination to support hip eateries and shops. Real estate shorthand calls it “trendy and vibrant<\/a>“. Here’s Wikipedia’s profile on the neighborhood<\/a> and its history. You might think everyone there is ecologically aware and committed to a green lifestyle, but some are and some aren’t.<\/p>\n

Back when we first moved to Ontario we rented an old converted church in Kanata for a year while we\u00a0figured\u00a0out where to try buy a house. At first glance I thought Westboro looked like one of the nicer areas in Ottawa. The trouble was a lot<\/em> of people like Westboro. Prices were along the lines of “if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.” We bought elsewhere.<\/p>\n

In short, Westboro residents can’t expect to get away with exporting squirrels without a backlash of jokes, or resentment.<\/p>\n

Only two days after breaking the small scandal the Citizen had a supplemental story noting the initial article (“Westboro\u2019s plan for squirrels: Deport them to Quebec”) was cropping up around the world.<\/a><\/p>\n

Naturally, there are now\u00a0Westboro squirrels<\/a> tweets, like this one:<\/p>\n

Also. For every ONE of us forced to undergo extraordinary rendition, we will murder FOUR of your begonias. #GotThatWestboro<\/strong><\/a>?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another<\/a>\u00a0demonstrates how well imaginary Canadian squirrels track events in the U.S.:<\/p>\n

We are following everyone who follows us. Don’t be scared. It’s not really a world domination thing so much as an idea we got from the NSA.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As mentioned in previous posts, in Ontario it is generally illegal to relocate wildlife.\u00a0Here’s more<\/a> relating to that from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources:<\/p>\n

Wildlife relocation is regulated in Ontario under the\u00a0Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act<\/em>. If an animal is captured it must be released unharmed in close proximity to the capture site (within 1 kilometer) or, if sick or injured, delivered to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator within 24 hours unless otherwise directed by the Ministry.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Ministry’s position is humans must try co-exist with wildlife.\u00a0Suggestions\u00a0about how to best do that can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, what’s really going on when humans and wild creatures collide? Are we all busily trading animals by way of clandestine car rides?<\/p>\n

Where do you fall on the spectrum of co-existence verses eradication – or\u00a0extraordinary\u00a0rendition – of these furry neighbors?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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