Walking around the zoo my daughter pointed out how many ground squirrels there were running about the place. I mean - Richardson's ground squirrels....as in ....You can find these guys anywhere on the prairies, so why have them at the zoo?
Well, in Australia they have Kangaroos running amuck and they are like large Richardson's ground squirrels...i.e. rodents. So, I suppose, if a family from another country - say somewhere around the Arctic Circle visited the zoo they might be interested in seeing these guys. But really, it's like having a family of mice for people to look at. Yes - they are THAT common!
I distinctly remember, and so will other Canadians of my age, the National Film Board broadcasting a short clip on the Richardson's Ground Squirrel.
In a shakey tape kind of voice the narrator said: And I Quote....
"The Richardson's Ground Squirrel........there are literally thousands of them." No kidding Sherlock.
Here is a picture I took of one friendly little guy:
I didn't get too close....because he COULD have been this guy:
He came running up to me, got on his hind legs and basically asked for a treat. He had a very strange pattern on his back and after perusing it a while I realized it was a number. His number is 256. So, not only are the zoo peeps letting them run about willy nilly, they have numbers and perhaps names. This guy could be Robert the Richardson's Ground Squirrel...or Bob....cuz that's kind of what he was doing when he was 'asking' for a treat.
I suppose they have a reason for numbering them. After all the park is in the middle of the city and these are burrowing animals. I can hear the conversation now.
"Well, Ted I need you to take a drive over to 425 Oak Street. Looks like number 152 is reeking havoc with a front lawn. Yes - a Code 56 - gopher off the premises."
Meanwhile my niece, who has a small ranch kind of property, was saying, "They are rodents. They can have rabies. We shoot them back home....What are these people thinking?" While shooing them away and having people look at her like SHE WAS A BAD PERSON. BUT she is from Alberta and.....
The Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, Alberta, Canada, has a large selection of stuffed ground squirrels of many varieties and colors.
AND since I am somewhat of an animal lover, I really don't want any one to kill these guys off in an inhumane way. Farmers and ranchers have developed a variety of ways to exterminate gophers besides trapping, shooting and poisoning. One such process fills the burrows with a mixture of oxygen and propane and then ignites the gas mixture. This kills the gophers with a concussive force that also collapses the tunnel systems. But is it INSTANT??? We don't want a bunch of concussed rodents staggering around the prairie landscape.
Basically, I don't think there is a NICE way to control these guys.
The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation sponsored a 12-week "gopher derby" in 2002, in an effort to reduce what it considered an overpopulation of the squirrels. Cash prizes were awarded for the most number of animals killed, with the animals' tails being presented as proof of the kill. The Canadian Humane Society called the contest cruel and barbaric. Despite the criticism, the derby was repeated in 2003. By 2004, the gopher population had dropped and the contest was canceled. Until the next time.......
But there is good news on the horizon for our furry friends....The Richardson's ground squirrel in recent years has become popular in the exotic pet trade. And, why not?
And then there is this lady:
Dr. Gail Michener, pictured with a Richardson's ground squirrel that was born and raised in captivity. The majority of Gail Michener's research is conducted in the field with free-living ground squirrels. Really, Gail - you went to school for that??
So, back to the number system. What happens when, let's say, they get to number 300? Sorry 301 ...could you step over here for a moment......eeeekkkkk - whack!
Female Richardson's ground squirrels produce one litter per year. The young, up to 8 in a litter, are born in April or May....so by the next year you could possibly have....hmmmm...well...let's see.....a whole lot more!
And I have to ask....have they seen number ONE lately? Do they have a rodent round up every year and tick them off one by one? Do they reassign the numbers of....the deceased...like, say number one? And HOW do they get those numbers on their little backs????? Hair dye? Permanent marker?? Branding???
Wow - I had no idea running a zoo could be so complicated.
Things I learned this week:
Some Collie parents have a great sense of humor:
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It was a slow week - I didn't learn much...
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