Pocket gophers' lives do matter

Why is the government protecting a gopher? Does it have a crucial ecological niche ? Is it as cute as a kitten?

Its cheeks turn inside out. That’s what the pocket is. Does it till the rocky soil and leave fertilizing castings? Is the Mazuma pocket gopher in particular at risk of extinction? Do we miss the passenger pigeon? How about the Great Auk? It was too beautiful to keep alive. It needed to be stuffed and displayed.

How about the ibex, the quagga, a hartebeest? Do we have to pave paradise or can we leave some spaces for the little critters? Good for The Olympian for writing that pocket gophers’ lives matter.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Pocket gophers' lives do matter."