COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS : Officials Seek to Trap Squirrels

College of the Canyons administrators are exploring the possibility of trapping, rather than poisoning, campus ground squirrels, many of which carry fleas that can transmit to humans a potentially deadly disease.

Michael Daly, a student who has headed the Save the Squirrels campaign, said that members of the High Adventure Explorer Scouts have volunteered to do the trapping. But, he said, they cannot do the job without proof of million-dollar liability insurance coverage.

The college was ordered to reduce its ground squirrel population in September after a routine inspection and series of tests by the Los Angeles County Health Department’s Vectorborne Disease Surveillance Program. Inspectors found that many of the squirrels carried fleas with the potential to transmit certain diseases, such as sylvatic plague.

“If the volunteers come through and we get this into an organized system, we can then trap on a regular basis to get the situation under control,” college Superintendent-President Dianne Van Hook said.

If proof of insurance is provided, the trapping will proceed. Daly said the squirrels will then be taken to the Castaic Animal Shelter to be destroyed in a painless, humane manner, Daly said.

Campus officials initially proposed reducing the number of squirrels through use of a poisoned bait. But they agreed to work with Daly on a compromise plan that would be both effective and humane.

Before the trapping began, Sevin, a chemical available commercially that is considered safe for humans and small animals, would be placed around the squirrels’ burrows to reduce the number of fleas on them.

College officials are researching long-term deterrents to maintain a low squirrel population, Van Hook said. Proposals include spreading the word on campus not to feed the squirrels and using special trash cans through which the animals cannot easily ferret.