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Squirrels are officially Rodentia non grata in Dorchester Square.

City of Montreal workers plopped two peanuts in a metal trap Tuesday morning in a bid to lure squirrels that have been gnawing at trees in the leafy downtown square.

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The bushy-tailed rodents must go, “due to the devastation they are causing to maple trees and the serious health risk they pose to mature trees, which could have an impact on the safety of square users,” a sign next to the trap said.

The city will move captured rodents to Mount Royal, about one kilometre up Peel St., “where they’ll have more space and more food resources.” The sign reminds humans they can be fined for feeding squirrels. A city bylaw sets the fine for a first offence at $300 to $600.

Photo by Andy Riga / Montreal Gazette

Like other rodents, squirrels’ teeth are constantly growing; gnawing helps wear them down.

In Dorchester Square, a 15,000-square-metre space that’s home to about 40 squirrels, they’re gnawing at the bark on maple trees, which account for about 80 per cent of the square’s canopy, a city spokesperson said.