On that day, individuals who have trapped and killed pocket gophers during the past year turn in the gophers' severed feet and receive a bounty. Viola, a town of perhaps one hundred residents, swells to around 2000 people on the day of the gopher count. Originally started as an impromptu competition to control pocket gophers, this macabre ritual has continued to this very day despite the county's admission that the gophers are no longer a problem. Supporters of the gopher count cite the gophers' destruction of crops and damage to farm equipment as reasons for continuing the slaughter. This argument doesn't hold up.
Farm equipment is made to be operated on tough, uneven terrain.
Drought, insects, hail and fluctuating grain prices are greater threats to a farmer's livelihood. Many of the gopher killers are children. Such an event teaches children that cruelty towards animals is acceptable behavior. It also sets the stage for future acts of violence toward animals and humans. Marilyn Shea 10240 Viola Rd.