diff --git a/creatur.cabal b/creatur.cabal
--- a/creatur.cabal
+++ b/creatur.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name: creatur
-version: 5.9.16
+version: 5.9.17
 cabal-version: >=1.8
 build-type: Simple
 license: BSD3
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
         ALife.Creatur.Util
     build-depends:
         array >=0.5.1.1 && <0.6,
-        base >=4.9.1.0 && <4.10,
+        base ==4.9.*,
         bytestring >=0.10.8.1 && <0.11,
         cond >=0.4.1.1 && <0.5,
         cereal >=0.5.4.0 && <0.6,
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@
         exceptions >=0.8.3 && <0.9,
         filepath >=1.4.1.1 && <1.5,
         gray-extended >=1.5.2 && <1.6,
-        hdaemonize >=0.5.3 && <0.6,
-        hsyslog >=4 && <4.1,
+        hdaemonize >=0.5.4 && <0.6,
+        hsyslog >=5.0.1 && <5.1,
         MonadRandom >=0.5.1 && <0.6,
         mtl >=2.2.1 && <2.3,
         old-locale >=1.0.0.7 && <1.1,
@@ -89,20 +89,20 @@
     main-is: TestAll.hs
     build-depends:
         array >=0.5.1.1 && <0.6,
-        base >=4.9.1.0 && <4.10,
+        base ==4.9.*,
         binary >=0.8.3.0 && <0.9,
         cereal >=0.5.4.0 && <0.6,
-        creatur >=5.9.16 && <5.10,
+        creatur,
         directory >=1.3.0.0 && <1.4,
         filepath >=1.4.1.1 && <1.5,
-        hsyslog >=4 && <4.1,
+        hsyslog >=5.0.1 && <5.1,
         HUnit >=1.5.0.0 && <1.6,
         MonadRandom >=0.5.1 && <0.6,
         mtl >=2.2.1 && <2.3,
-        temporary >=1.2.0.4 && <1.3,
+        temporary >=1.2.1 && <1.3,
         test-framework >=0.8.1.1 && <0.9,
         test-framework-hunit >=0.3.0.2 && <0.4,
-        test-framework-quickcheck2 >=0.3.0.3 && <0.4,
+        test-framework-quickcheck2 >=0.3.0.4 && <0.4,
         QuickCheck >=2.9.2 && <2.10
     hs-source-dirs: test
     other-modules:
diff --git a/src/ALife/Creatur/Daemon.hs b/src/ALife/Creatur/Daemon.hs
--- a/src/ALife/Creatur/Daemon.hs
+++ b/src/ALife/Creatur/Daemon.hs
@@ -29,14 +29,13 @@
 import Control.Exception (SomeException, handle, catch)
 import Control.Monad (when)
 import Control.Monad.State (StateT, execStateT)
-import Data.ByteString.Char8 (pack)
+import Foreign.C.String (withCStringLen)
 import System.IO (hPutStr, stderr)
 import System.IO.Unsafe (unsafePerformIO)
 import qualified System.Posix.Daemonize as D
 import System.Posix.Signals (Handler(Catch), fullSignalSet, 
   installHandler, sigTERM)
-import System.Posix.Syslog (Priority(Warning), Facility(DAEMON),
-  syslogUnsafe)
+import System.Posix.Syslog (Priority(Warning), Facility(Daemon), syslog)
 import System.Posix.User (getLoginName, getRealUserID)
 
 termReceived :: MVar Bool
@@ -114,7 +113,7 @@
 wrap t = catch t
   (\e -> do
      let err = show (e :: SomeException)
-     syslogUnsafe DAEMON Warning $ pack ("Unhandled exception: " ++ err)
+     withCStringLen ("Unhandled exception: " ++ err) $ syslog (Just Daemon) Warning
      hPutStr stderr ("Unhandled exception: " ++ err)
      return ())