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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Gophers notch a win in man-rodent battle |
| 2008-03-25 |
| CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A war on gophers waged by two Canadian men went awry this weekend when a device used to blast the rodents in their holes sparked a massive grass fire in a rural area near Calgary, Alberta, causing more than C$200,000 ($197,000) in damages. Remember, you can't own a firearm so what to do about Gophers? Despite a ban on fires in the tinder-dry area of Springbank, just northeast of Calgary's city limits, two men went into a field to kill gophers using a device called a Rodenator, fire officials said on Monday. They'll be Back! The device pumps a mixture of propane and oxygen into gopher holes, which is then ignited, and, according to the manufacturer's Web site, the resulting blast creates a shock wave that kills the gopher and collapses its tunnel system. Shock and Awe, Gopher style. "We had a couple of "They did a few holes successfully and then hit a hole that didn't go in very far. When they filled it with propane it over-filled the hole...and when they ignited it (fire) flashed out of the hole into the grass beside them." Watch out for them Gophers lightn' farts. The resulting grass fire scorched about 160 acres of surrounding property and destroyed a number of outbuildings. No homes were damaged. "The way I look at it, it's 'humans eight, gophers one'." Garssi said, as the two men destroyed about eight of the rodents before sparking the blaze. Charges are being considered against one of the two men involved. In Western Canada, gophers, more properly called Richardson's ground squirrels, are often considered a nuisance, blamed for ruining crops and damaging golf courses and lawns. Where's Carl from Caddyshack when ya need him? Gopher on a Stick, anyone? |
| Posted by:Deacon Blues |
| #4 In the horse and buggy days, more horses had to be destroyed after being crippled by a meet with a gopher hole, than any other cause. Killing gophers should be like breathing to a farmer. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-03-25 22:29 |
| #3 Hey, this should work with jihadis holed up in caves, cellars and bunkers, right? Maybe we should try it. |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-03-25 20:06 |
| #2 Here is a video of killing gophers with propane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrGnW0KLFZk |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-03-25 18:58 |
| #1 "In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'. " |
| Posted by: Mike 2008-03-25 17:44 |