This is the first I've heard of protecting the pocket gopher - the most virulent, ugly, destructive little rodent ever to inhabit the earth. The complete eradication of this pest would be a blessing to the earth.
But not in my neighboring Washington State:
The species is currently listed as threatened by the state of Washington. In December 2012, a proposal was made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the gopher as threatened. It would apply to the four local subspecies of the Mazama pocket gopher and their prairie habitat. Their prairie habitat in which the gophers live has been reduced by 90-95% in the last 150 years. A translocation project has been undertaken, but a mortality of 90% has been reported.
Got that? It's listed as a pest, but it's being protected? Where I come from they call that insanity.[...]The gopher is also listed as a pest in the state of Washington because it is known to cause damage to infrastructure. The gophers can destroy waterlines, endanger livestock, destroy crops and weaken levees and dams source
Until this video, I had no idea that Washington was now protecting this horrible little creature.
I am here to tell you that pocket gophers are indeed a pest. We were overrun with them a few years ago. Through a carefully administered poison control program, instituted by yours truly, we were able to keep the population somewhat under control.
This is how we deal with pocket gophers in Idaho
Meet the Rodinator, invented by Ed Meyer.
The Rodenator injects a calibrated mixture of propane and oxygen into the ground and ignites the mixture to create a concussive force that collapses the rodent tunnels and gets rid of the animals within.
The production facility is located in the small town of Emmett, Idaho. This rural community, just outside the capital Boise, is rich in history and represents a small “western town” in the Payette River region of Southwestern Idaho.
I wish I had a Rodenator!
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