Lately, it feels like the gopher population is outnumbering the human population in Moose Jaw.

Craig Hemingway, communications director with the city of Moose Jaw, said they have noticed as well.

“Some of our fields are in pretty good condition, limited gopher issues there,” said Hemingway. “Cemeteries also in not bad shape, but certainly a lot of the ball diamonds have seen a whole lot of gophers. Happy Valley Park has been in bad shape due to gophers. Crescent Park and Spring Creek have been attended to by a pest control company contracted by the city, plus some areas in Iron Bridge in the berms gophers had dug at the base of the healthy trees there.

They are filling in the holes and have contracted out pest control specialists to control the population.

Particular attention is being paid to holes around trees in parks.

The high amount of gophers has had people in some cases taking matters in their own hands.

“The one piece that we would like to remind the public of, is we have heard of some folks, understanding that there is a problem, but trying to control the gopher population. Doing that on city property and trying to apply poison and those sorts of things,” he said. “We would ask people not do that.”

The material that pest control uses, doesn't present a secondary danger, Hemingway said.

“But a different type of chemical or poison that somebody might buy somewhere else to try and do that may not be that safe or might not have that, and so it could pose a risk to animals or people as well,” Hemingway said.