Reconsidering Manitoba's war on ‘pests'

Winnipeg Free Press

09-05-2025

Opinion
As Danae Tonge made her way to Warren, Man. last month, to peacefully protest a wildlife hunting contest taking place the next day, it quickly became apparent that her plans would need to change.
Tonge, along with other members of activist group Manitoba Animal Save, were greeted by a group of hostile hunters, blocking the road with a sign draped by animal skin and antlers, reading 'No tree huggers.' Tonge says she felt unsafe, so she told her group to go home.
The plan had been to protest, and to bear witness to the crows and magpies due to be hunted down the following day as part of a contest held by Woodlands and District Wildlife Federation. 'Teams of two will compete to harvest the most birds,' the flier reads, 'with cash prizes awarded to the top scoring teams.' The birds are considered by some to be 'pests,' potentially harmful to young livestock (who of course will eventually be killed, too).
In Manitoba, ravens are protected under the provincial Wildlife Act, but crows and magpies are not, and shooting them for fun appears to be a common springtime activity in some Manitoba communities. Minnedosa will be holding a similar contest this weekend, but this one will also include gophers. Killing a gopher will get you one point. Magpies are worth three.
Manitoba Animal Save won't be protesting the Minnedosa event. Instead, they, along with other advocacy groups, Animal Justice and The Winnipeg Humane Society, are calling on the provincial government to amend the Wildlife Act to include crows and magpies, or even better — to ban these contests altogether.
'The Winnipeg Humane Society strongly opposes the killing of crows, magpies, gophers and all other species for sport,' says director of animal advocacy, Krista Boryskavich. The organization is also advocating for 'legislative amendments to require an independent, third-party scientific report prior to undertaking population management measures, which would ensure that population management is only carried out if … necessary,' and 'in the most humane manner possible.'
Concerns about population control also extend to the issue of ground squirrels — another small animal deemed by some as 'pests.'
Later this month the City of Winnipeg plans to gas ground squirrels to death in their burrows across eight city parks, due to their holes supposedly being a danger to people and pets.
The lethal pesticide is called 'Giant Destroyer,' and Kaitlyn Mitchell, a Winnipeg lawyer with Animal Justice, says it can take up to an hour or more to actually kill the squirrel. She calls the method cruel and says there are better options. 'A more effective approach would be to hire experienced biologists or other experts' she writes in a statement, 'to live-trap animals if absolutely necessary in March, before young are born.' Waiting until May means baby squirrels will also be gassed.
Ultimately, it's the labelling of certain wild animals as 'pests' that allows for this type of treatment to take place. But this branding is both misguided and dangerous. Such language shapes perception — and policy — toward eradication rather than co-existence. Across Manitoba and beyond, these animals are treated as nuisances simply for surviving among us.
But who's encroaching upon whom? These wild animals are simply adapting to the spaces we've created in their habitats. They aren't invaders; they're survivors. And unfairly categorizing them as 'pests' allows for the casual use of terrifying killing methods like trapping, poisoning, hunting and culling.
'We need solutions rooted in ecology, not extermination,' says Lesley Fox, executive director of wildlife advocacy group, The Fur Bearers. The term 'pest' inaccurately implies worthlessness, but all species play important roles in our shared ecosystems. Ground squirrels, says Fox, are a species whose burrows help aerate our soil. They also help disperse seeds and support biodiversity. 'Labelling these and other animals as 'pests' oversimplifies complex ecosystems,' she says, adding that 'co-existence isn't just possible, it's necessary.'
As for this weekend's hunting contest in Minnedosa, Tonge is encouraging Manitoba animal lovers to contact provincial Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie to add pressure to the campaign to amend the Manitoba Wildlife Act.
And for those wanting to speak up for Winnipeg ground squirrels, Mitchell says to reach out to your city councillor. 'It's not too late,' she says, for the city to take a second look at this 'cruel plan.'
Thinking of certain animals as mere pests ignores our responsibility in the natural imbalances we've created — and the respect owed to fellow beings who are simply trying to live. Other solutions exist, we just need to be a society that insists on them.
Jessica Scott-Reid is a Winnipeg journalist and independent animal advocate. She is also the disinformation correspondent for Sentient, and a former member of the Winnipeg Humane Society board of directors.