SPOKANE -- Spokane is having a problem with too many ground squirrels at the Finch Arboretum

So the Parks and Recreation department is going to use a special machine to detonate some of the 100 to 150 rodents that are tearing up the grounds. The machine is called the Rodenator Pro. It pumps propane and oxygen into the tunnels of squirrels, then sends an electric spark that causes an explosion. The shock waves kill the squirrels and collapse their tunnels.

The parks department says the Rodenator is a humane way to kill the squirrels. But it warns area residents that the explosions sound like gun shots, and to not to alarmed by them all week.

-- The Associated Press