Krasnoyarsk residents are asked to be careful with gophers / Society news of Krasnoyarsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory / Newslab.Ru

Due to the onset of hot weather and the influx of vacationers on Tatyshev Island, the Krasnoyarsk Rospotrebnadzor warns about the dangers of close contact with gophers.

These animals are already accustomed to begging for food from people who, seeing a cute animal, cannot resist its charm and often feed it by hand and take photos, getting as close to it as possible.

“It’s important to remember: no matter how cute gophers look, close contact and hand feeding can be dangerous to your health! These animals can be aggressive and carry helminths, as well as a number of other serious diseases, such as rabies, tularemia, listeriosis and more,” the department warns.

Experts advise those who want to feed gophers to do it correctly: not by hand, but by throwing food on the ground so that the animal can pick it up on its own.