Why do I need to get rid of gophers?

Gophers are so cute and there aren’t really all that many of them, surely they can’t be all that bad. Right! These little creatures are amazing diggers and tunnelers. All those dirt mounds you find in your yard are probably created by ONE gopher. Each gopher produces 10-30 mounds a month ranging in volume from a glass full to a gallon. When digging, they find stuff. If it is edible, they eat it. If not, they chew right through many things they encounter underground. This includes phone or other utility lines and irrigation lines. Small rocks they carry out and add to the dirt pile (Hope you don’t hit one with the mower). If large rocks or other un-chewable objects get it the way, they just dig around them.

Gophers aggressively consume tree roots, even to the point the tree is no longer supported and falls over-landing where it may.

Weasels, skunks, snakes and other animals prey on gophers and frequent the same areas, causing their own special forms of damage in the process.