It’s a holey mess: gophers having their run of Winnipeg

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This article was published 20/06/2024 (472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If it seems the city is being overrun by gophers, you’re not going squirrelly. It is.

From The Forks to Assiniboine Park and green spaces around Winnipeg, the critters’ holes are popping up everywhere. What is being done about it? Largely, the city and animal control experts are letting nature — in the style of predators — take its course.

Zach Peters, a spokesman for The Forks, said there are many gopher holes at that site, which can create a tripping hazard that interferes with recreation.

The organization is working with Parks Canada on a population-control plan for the gophers, also known as Richardson ground squirrels.

“We see… that they see this as their residence, as well, and there’s a balance to be struck between population control and a co-existence,” said Peters.

He said the gopher population surges each year around this time. It’s not clear if there are more of them this year.

“We did see an increase during the pandemic when everyone was staying inside and fewer big events were happening at The Forks. In those couple (of) pandemic years, we saw the population start to increase,” he said.

The gophers have reached their seasonal peak at Assiniboine Park.

Dr. Chris Enright, senior director of zoological operations at Assiniboine Park Zoo, said people are aware of the gophers since their population tends to rise suddenly.

“These ground squirrels are extremely seasonal in their activities and we’ve hit the window of time where their babies are emerging…. The population has seemingly grown overnight,” said Enright.

He said the rodents’ overall population typically keeps steady each year, due to predators.

“As much as possible, we try to let nature run its course. Just as this time of year we see the largest number of baby ground squirrels emerging, I also see the largest number of hawks…. We’re home to a large number of predators and generally that’s where the story ends for us,” said Enright.

He said there are very limited cases where staff could trap and humanely euthanize the critters, such as if they move into sports fields or other high-traffic areas, which increases the risk of human injuries.

“Our ground squirrels are drawn to our green spaces and we want to live with them as much as possible and find ways to do that,” said Enright.

The city doesn’t expect to take any action to address ground squirrels at this point, a spokeswoman said.

“While ground squirrels are a going concern every summer, we aren’t actively managing the population at this time. If there comes a time when the squirrel holes pose a risk to human safety at a given location — say, on an athletic field — we would treat them, as necessary,” wrote Julie Horbal Dooley, in an emailed statement.

Gophers also appear to be attracting attention outside of Winnipeg. On June 18, Brandon Police Service posted a reminder on X (formerly Twitter) that residents are not allowed to shoot the animals within city limits, which was paired with an image of a gopher beneath the words “DON’T SHOOT!”

“The City of Brandon is taking action to safely eradicate the cute but pesky gophers from our green spaces. Please note that the use of firearms or weapons within city limits is strictly prohibited,” the post said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga