Can I kill rats, raccoons and other pests in Ottawa?

In the constant struggle between rats and humans, all signs suggest the battle is tilting toward the rodents in Ottawa this year.

The city has received 11 per cent more rat complaintsin the first five months of 2023, compared to the same period last year.

Bill Dowd, the president and CEO of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control,said his company has fielded about 25 per cent more calls for rodent control so far this year in the Ottawa area androdent infestations are up across the boardin his company's communities.

Ottawa has revived a Rat Mitigation Working Group to co-ordinate its strategy. But what are residents to do in the meantime?

"There [are]a lot of rules and regulations and laws that can be really tricky to navigate for a homeowner," said Dowd.

Here's a primer on what you can, can't, should and shouldn't do to ward off rats and other pests from your property.

Can I kill rats?

Yes. In fact, Ontario law allows you to harass, capture or kill many common urban pests if you believe on reasonable grounds that they are damaging or are about to damage your property.

The Ministry of Natural Resources did not explain what animals need to do to justify such a belief, but a spokesperson said that no approval or authorization is required.

The City of Ottawa confirmedthere are no bylaws that put additional restrictions on dealing with pests or wildlife.

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After warnings from River Ward councillor Riley Brockington, Ottawa's Rat Mitigation Working Group reformed this month to co-ordinate the city's battle against the rodents. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Can I kill the rats with poison?

That depends on the poison. The province's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act bans the use of poisons to kill or injure any wild animal. The ministry confirmed that includes rats and mice, except as allowed under the Pesticides Act.

The province's environment ministry explainedthat residents can use pesticides marked for domesticuse to kill rodents in and around their home, but anything marked commercial,industrialor agriculturalis reserved for professionals or farmers.

Some are permitted for indoor use only, while others can be used within 15 metres of a structure. The pesticide label will explain.

Some come with use limitations to protect against harm to children, pets and other wildlife. Moreover, the federal government bans some common rat poisons, like warfarin, except when placed in tamper-resistant bait stations.

"They have to be in special black bait boxes as we call them that are weighted down," said Dowd."Whether they're outside or inside, there are some strict rules and regulations with those rodenticide boxes."

What kinds of traps can I use?

Using adhesives, including glue traps, to trap rats or other pests is against the law, according to the ministry. Dowd said it's also inhumane.

"We've got calls where we go out and mice and rats are just screaming.Ahomeowner's been hearing this screaming all night of the rodent in distress because it's stuck on this glue board," he said. "Those should never really be used."

He said the old-fashioned snap traps are the most humane and effective. The provinceconfirmed that they are not regulated under the law, though it said that they can't be used to catch or harm other wildlife.

"Obviously you don't want to be putting those outside where children or other animals can get into," Dowd said. "You can put them in these bait boxesor some type of secure container."

What about other animals?

Besides rats and mice, Dowd said raccoons, squirrels, skunks, birds and bats are "the five real culprits that infest homes throughout the Ottawa region."

Raccoons and squirrels have few specialprotections it is against the law to destroy theirdens without a licence, for example. Skunk dens are fair game.

Again, you can only capture or kill those animals if they're about to damage your property. If not, they're subject to rules for hunting or trapping wildlife. You'll need a licenceunless you're a farmer.

How can I capture or kill them?

Regulations limit the kinds of traps you can use. Traps with teeth or serrations on their jaws, or those with hooks or sharp points capable ofimpaling an animalare prohibited, as are some kinds of snares.

Other traps are subject to restrictions on who can use them. Only licensed trappers and farmers can use many kinds of body-gripping traps.

"You get kids and cats or dogs being maimed or killed in those types of traps," said Dowd.

If you capture a wild animal without killing it, the law limits what you can do. You must release it within 24 hours within one kilometre of the place you originally captured it, and only into a similar habitat as nearby as possible.

Dowd noted that 70 per cent of animals relocated to faraway spots die. During birthing season, it can be worse.

"You don't want to be trapping that mother squirrel or that mother skunk or mother raccoon and taking it way out to the woods and letting it go, because that's a death sentence for those babies," he said.

The law also requires you to kill or handle the animal humanely. Dowd said some traps can lead to "a very slow and painful death," as can do-it-yourself solutions.

About 10 years ago, a man in Toronto pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals for killing three baby raccoons with a shovel.

Thinking of shooting an animal in Ottawa? Even with a licence, the Discharge of Firearms Bylaw prohibits that anywhere but the most rural fringes of the city.

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If I follow those rules, can I harass, capture or kill anything that damages my property?

No. The general permission to harass, capture or kill animals to prevent property damage does not apply to moose, woodland caribou, American elk or white-tailed deer.

Certain species of local mammals, including theeastern wolf,are threatened or endangered. Same goes for a long list of birds and some species of bats. They're protected by a different law.

It prohibits anyone from killing, harming, harassing or capturing any of those animals, or from damaging or destroying their habitat.

There are exceptions, though they'rerestrictive. You can only kill, harass or capture threatened or endangered animals if you reasonably believe there is an imminent risk of harm to a person or animal.

To protect property, you can only kill, capture or harass the animal under an agreement with the environment ministry. The agreement may specify that you have to use a professional.

What about birds?

Dowd said his company rarely gets calls about infestations of endangered species, but there is one common nuisance animal that does have special protection.

It's the Canada goose and they can be downright nasty.

"Canada geese can be very destructive. They defecate constantly. In their droppings there's a lot of parasites that are communicable to us humans," Dowd said.

As a migratory bird, the Canada goose is protected by the Migratory Birds Convention Act, which stems from a treaty with the U.S. The same goes for pigeons and gulls.

It prohibits harming the birds, their eggs or their nests without a permit.

Dowd said that even he has to go through all sorts of paperwork to deal with Canada geese.

"There's a lot of rules and regulations we need to follow," he said.

What about insects?

Some insects are threatened or endangered, like the rusty-patched bumble bee, the nine spotted lady beetle and the mottled duskywing. They have the same protections as other threatened or endangered species.

Other insects are considered "specially protected invertebrates," including monarch butterflies. They're under the same rules as rats and other common pests: you can kill them to protect your property.

Aside from such species, invertebrates have no special protections whatsoever. You can kill or capture them at will, though the Pesticides Act will again regulate the use of poisons.

Even if I can kill these animals, should I?

Capturing or killing rodents and other pestscan be a fruitless endeavour, according to Dowd. There will always be others ready to take their place, so the best strategy is taking measures to fortify your home.

"Everybody assumes you trap it and take it away, that's the solution, but they've just inundated our cities nowadays," he said."It's just gotten so much out of control."

He said rats reproduce so quickly they can reach sexual maturity in as little asthree weeks that it's near impossible to keep up with the numbers through trapping or killing.

"Two breeding rats, research has shown, in one year, will generate just under 12,000 rats," Dowd said.

The trick is keeping them outside. He said mice can fit through an opening in your home about the size of a dime, while a rat needs one the size of a quarter.

"A homeowner needs to be very, very diligent," he said. "Any of these cracks or crevices need to be sealed up."

It's also essential to deny wild animals food sources. Dowd said he avoids putting his garbage out until morning, since many pests are nocturnal. He also advises against spreading out birdseed, which is "like a magnet for rodents."

"We'll see some homes where people are feeding the birds, but the rodent population is just astounding," he said.

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Bill Dowd, the president and CEO of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, said the best solution for controlling urban pests isn't trapping or killing the animals, but "to wildlife- and rodent-proof your home."

The Ministry of Natural Resources agreed that killing, even when legal, is far from the best choice.

"The best approach to addressing human-wildlife conflict is to address the underlying causes of why wildlife are attracted to human spaces.Generally, killing or relocating wildlife is not a long-term solution as others will simply move in," it said in a statement.

"The ministry encourages persons take steps to prevent conflicts before considering lethal or invasive action."