Saskatchewan SPCA opposes use of strychnine for pest control

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She added liquid strychnine leads to significant suffering for the gopher.    

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“It’s a horrible death as it causes severe muscle spasms, seizures and respiratory failure and it can take hours to die. That’s significant suffering and not humane.”    

Basset believes there are other gopher control options available for farmers and ranchers to control gophers. 

“Things like habitat modifications, like promoting tall vegetation, as ground squirrels prefer open fields. Dense vegetation is a useful tool in slowing or preventing colony expansion,” she said “Predation plays a significant part in natural population control. Installing raptor platforms and nest boxes can be really great for increasing that natural predation. Also, preserving habitat for ground predators, such as retaining vegetation around water and fence lines and sloughs to support those habitats.” 

Basset said farmers can also use mechanical controls like disrupting burrows by plowing or cultivating, using traps or shooting the gophers if the producer has a license in an area that allows for it.  

“Poisons are maybe a little bit faster, but they cause a lot of harm to the environment, and those environmental risks are really unacceptable.”   

SPCA added gophers play a key role in the Prairie ecosystem, primarily being a key food source for a variety of natural predators. 

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com