Prairie Dog Pals

Dedicated to the Preservation of Prairie Dogs and their Habitat

New Image: 3 Dog Kiss

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Sharyn D created a new “3 Dog Kiss” image for us. For many years we’d been using the older image but were told recently that we were infringing on the artists copyright. To make a long story short, CJ discussed the how and when we acquired the image and while the fine was dropped, we can no longer use that image. I think this one is nicer anyways!

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Prairie Dog Day is February 2nd!

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Alas, a nice thought by Charles Schultz but not an accurate one. Prairie dogs have declined by 98% in range and population over the last 120 years. They were extirpated by our government to make way for ranchers, cattlemen, and farmers, and when that wasn’t good enough the ranchers, cattlemen, and farmers took over and finished the job. They used abominable poisons that not only killed prairie dogs but other species and the land as well.

Prairie dogs are a keystone species that is vital to a healthy prairie ecosystem. They provide food or housing to over a hundred other species and are the sole diet of black footed ferret, one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. They need YOUR help.

Think what you can do to help them on Prairie Dog Day, 2 February!

They will appreciate it!

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Amazon Smile comes to an end…

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Dear customer,

In 2013, we launched AmazonSmile to make it easier for customers to support their favorite charities. However, after almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped. With so many eligible organizations—more than 1 million globally—our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin.

We are writing to let you know that we plan to wind down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. We will continue to pursue and invest in other areas where we’ve seen we can make meaningful change—from building affordable housing to providing access to computer science education for students in underserved communities to using our logistics infrastructure and technology to assist broad communities impacted by natural disasters.

To help charities that have been a part of the AmazonSmile program with this transition, we will be providing them with a one-time donation equivalent to three months of what they earned in 2022 through the program, and they will also be able to accrue additional donations until the program officially closes in February. Once AmazonSmile closes, charities will still be able to seek support from Amazon customers by creating their own wish lists.
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Post-translocation dynamics of black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus): A successful conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation tool

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Ecol Evol. 2023 Jan 9;13(1):e9738. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9738. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Prairie dogs have declined by 98% throughout their range in the grasslands of North America. Translocations have been used as a conservation tool to reestablish colonies of this keystone species and to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Understanding the behavioral responses of prairie dogs to translocation is of utmost importance to enhance the persistence of the species and for species that depend on them, including the critically endangered black-footed ferret. In 2017 and 2018, we translocated 658 black-tailed prairie dogs on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in central South Dakota, USA, a black-footed ferret recovery site. Here, we describe and evaluate the effectiveness of translocating prairie dogs into augered burrows and soft-released within presumed coteries to reestablish colonies in previously occupied habitat. We released prairie dogs implanted with passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) and conducted recapture events approximately 1-month and 1-year post-release. We hypothesized that these methods would result in a successful translocation and that prairie dogs released as coteries would remain close to where they were released because of their highly social structure. In support of these methods leading to a successful translocation, 69% of marked individuals was captured 1-month post-release, and 39% was captured 1-year post-release. Furthermore, considerable recruitment was observed with 495 unmarked juveniles captured during the 1-year post-release trapping event, and the reestablished colony had more than doubled in the area by 2021. Contrary to our hypothesis, yet to our knowledge a novel finding, there was greater initial movement within the colony 1-month post-release than expected based on recapture locations compared with the published average territory size; however, 1 year after release, most recaptured individuals were captured within the expected territory size when compared to capture locations 1-month post-release. This research demonstrates that while translocating prairie dogs may be socially disruptive initially, it is an important conservation tool.

Keywords: Cynomys ludovicianus; black‐footed ferret; black‐tailed prairie dog; coterie; social behavior; translocation.

Conflict of interest statement

There are no competing interests.

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Protect Colorado’s future wolves!

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From:

Michelle Lute & Renee Seacor, Project Coyote info@projectcoyote.org via salsalabs.org

Take ACTION to make Colorado a welcoming place for wolves

Last month, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) released its draft wolf restoration and management plan that will guide wolf reintroduction in the state. The plan is set to be finalized by the CPW Commission this May after a series of public meetings across the state over the next two months. Work still needs to be done to ensure the finalized plan is grounded in science and ethical coexistence.

In July, Project Coyote and our partners provided CPW with an alternate wolf restoration plan that offered a science-based alternative plan to guide successful reintroduction and effective recovery. Now we need your help to ensure the best elements of our alternate plan are adopted by the Commission.
Join us in urging the Commission to make Colorado a welcoming place for wolves!

Here’s how you can help:

  1. Colorado residents: Attend an upcoming public meeting in person to voice your support for wolves. At the meeting, share your personalized testimony asking the Commissioners to adopt a wolf plan based on science and ethical coexistence. Draft your testimony using the talking points below. Plan to keep your testimony under 2-3 minutes.
    • Upcoming meetings (click the linked location below for more details on a specific meeting):

—2. Colorado AND out of state residents: Submit written comments via this online formby February 22nd. Craft your comments in your own words using the talking points below.

  • You can either fill your comment into the comment box or upload a separate document.
  • For question number 6 “What topics of the plan does your comment address? (select all that apply)”: Select all of the topics that apply to your comment or if you’re unsure select “I don’t know/general comment”

—3. Write a Letter to the Editor (LTE) for your local newspaper. 

  • Encourage readers to support wolf recovery grounded in science and ethical coexistence in Colorado.
  • Use the talking points below and check out our tips on writing LTEs.
  • Spread the word by sharing this alert with others and encouraging them to take action.

Talking Points – Please personalize!

  • Wolf management in Colorado should focus on reintroducing and conserving the species using an ecosystem-based approach that ensures the return of healthy and self-sustaining populations across suitable habitats while promoting ethical human-wolf coexistence.
    • Wolf populations should be allowed to flourish to ensure the restoration of the full ecological benefits the species brings to ecosystems. In contrast, CPW plans to reintroduce 10-15 wolves each year for three to four consecutive years and  downlist from endangered status once 50 wolves exist and from threatened status once 150 wolves exist anywhere in the state. These plans are not enough to ensure flourishing and self-sustaining wolf populations across the landscape.
    • Instead, CPW should introduce more wolves onto the landscape and focus on successful breeding pairs instead of individual wolves as a metric of successful reintroduction efforts and a criteria for downlisting their protected status. CPW should reintroduce at least 48 wolves over the first two years with at least one breeding pair in each of the 12 wolf reintroduction zones for at least two years. Downlisting to threatened status should only occur after there are at least 30 successful breeding pairs across four consecutive years, and occupy at least eight of the 13 wolf pack reintroduction zones. Delisting to non-game status should only occur after 75 successful breeding pairs are present for four consecutive years, and occupy at least 10 of the 13 wolf pack zones.
  • The wolf restoration plan should reflect broad public values that support strengthened protections for wolves and reflect low public support for recreational hunting.
    • The wolf restoration plan should remove the proposed Phase 4 management status allowing wolves to be classified as a “game” species, potentially allowing recreational hunting. Classification as a game species is in direct conflict with public values against recreational hunting and Proposition 114, which requires the species be managed as a “nongame” species.
  • Proposition 114 requires CPW to develop a wolf restoration plan that will “restore and manage gray wolves in Colorado, using the best scientific data available.” The wolf restoration and management plan must comply with the best available science by law.
    • The current draft restoration plan suggests that wolves are fully restored when 200 individuals are observed in the state with no specific timeframe. Studies show that the west slope region of Colorado could support a population of over 1,000 wolves. In addition, Frankham et al. (2014)suggested that genetically effective population sizes of at least 1,000 are required to ensure the long-term viability of the species.
    • Therefore, CPW should adhere to 1,000 wolves as a minimum requirement to reach the statutory mandate of a “self-sustaining” population guided by best available science.
  • The wolf restoration plan should prioritize and concentrate solely on non-lethal management of wolves in response to livestock conflicts to ensure proper recovery of wolves in Colorado and ethical coexistence between wolves and livestock. Several studies have proven a proactive non-lethal approach to reduce livestock conflicts leads to better conflict mitigation. The proposition 114 statute also requires CPW to assist livestock producers in preventing and resolving wolf conflicts with livestock.
  • The wolf restoration plan should strictly curtail any lethal management of wolves except in extremely rare circumstances of immediate defense of life.
  • As recommended by wolf biologists who advise Mexican wolf recovery, the Colorado wolf restoration plan should include the introduction of a subpopulation of Mexican gray wolves in the southern region of Colorado. Such a subpopulation could connect to the existing population, providing this critically endangered subspecies with much-needed genetic diversity and resilience.

Thank you for helping wolves in Colorado!
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LETHAL EFFECTS ON FLEA LARVAE OF FIPRONIL IN HOST FECES: POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR PLAGUE MITIGATION.

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1. J Wildl Dis. 2023 Jan 5. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00092. Online ahead of print.

LETHAL EFFECTS ON FLEA LARVAE OF FIPRONIL IN HOST FECES: POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR PLAGUE MITIGATION.

Eads DA(1), Tretten TN(2), Hughes JP(2), Biggins DE(1).

Author information: (1)US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA. (2)National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center, US Fish and Wildlife Service, PO Box 190, Wellington, Colorado 80549, USA.

Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is a zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors. Fipronil baits have been used to suppress adult fleas for plague mitigation. The degree and duration of flea control may increase if fipronil also kills other stages in the flea life cycle. We fed grain treated with 0.005% fipronil by weight, or regular nontreated grain, to black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), which excrete fipronil and metabolites in their feces after consuming fipronil in their diet. We presented prairie dog feces to 331 larval Oropsylla montana (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae). When exposed to feces lacking fipronil or metabolites, 84% of larvae survived for 24 h. In contrast, survival declined to 42% for larvae contacting feces from fipronil-treated prairie dogs. Just 7% of larvae consuming feces from fipronil-treated prairie dogs survived. Fipronil and metabolites may persist in host feces for several months or longer in prairie dog burrows where flea larvae dwell and forage. The lethal effects of fipronil on adult and larval fleas (and perhaps other life stages) may help to explain why fipronil baits are capable of suppressing prairie dog fleas for ≥12 mo.

© Wildlife Disease Association 2023.

DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00092 PMID: 36602809

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FLEA CONTROL ON PRAIRIE DOGS (CYNOMYS SPP.) WITH FIPRONIL BAIT PELLETS: POTENTIAL PLAGUE MITIGATION TOOL FOR RAPID FIELD APPLICATION AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

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FLEA CONTROL ON PRAIRIE DOGS (CYNOMYS SPP.) WITH FIPRONIL BAIT PELLETS: POTENTIAL PLAGUE MITIGATION TOOL FOR RAPID FIELD APPLICATION AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

J Wildl Dis. 2023 Jan 3. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00008. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Sylvatic plague is a widespread, primarily flea-vectored disease in western North America. Because plague is highly lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey, minimizing the impacts of plague is a priority at BFF reintroduction sites. We developed a new, flour-based bait pellet containing 0.84 mg of fipronil and weighing ∼1.25 g (FipBits). We measured the degree and duration of flea control on black-tailed PDs (BTPD; Cynomys ludovicianus) in Montana and on Gunnison’s PDs ( Cynomys gunnisoni) in Arizona, USA from 2018-2020. FipBits were distributed on treated plots one time at a rate of 125/ha. Fleas were virtually eliminated in Montana from 1 mo posttreatment to 1 yr later and remained substantially depressed 2 yr posttreatment. With the split colony design, we probably underestimated the degree of flea control achieved with FipBits due to crossover edge effects along the arbitrary line dividing the plots. Flea control in Arizona was significant from 1 mo posttreatment to 1 yr later, but flea abundance had recovered by 2 yr posttreatment. Flea control was evaluated from 2020-2021 in South Dakota, USA on four plots treated with three concentrations of fipronil in FipBits (0.68, 0.71, and 0.83 mg/FipBit). Fleas were essentially eliminated for 10 mo on the 0.83-mg plot and were substantially reduced on the two 0.71-mg plots. Fleas were reduced on the 0.68-mg plot, but the degree of control was less than observed on other treated plots. Impacts of plague on PDs and BFFs would probably be greatly reduced by the levels of flea control observed with FipBits. Options for expanded FipBit evaluations are being pursued for what may become a highly practical, affordable, and effective plague mitigation tool.

Keywords: Cynomys; Mustela nigripes; Yersinia pestis; Black-footed ferret; fipronil; flea control; plague.

Full text links

BioOne 
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Study Probes How Plague Spreads Through Wild Rodent Populations

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Scientists have long been puzzled how the bubonic plague bacteria,Yersinia pestis, can cause both stable, enzootic disease among rodents, as well as sudden, lethal epizootic outbreaks that decimate the same rodent populations. A new study concludes that the difference might relate to the fleas that carry Y. pestis between animals. Fleas with only early-phase infection are insufficient to drive an epizootic among most wild rodents, and favor a more stable enzootic state, according to the research published this week in PLOS Pathogens by Joseph Hinnebusch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases Rocky Mountain Laboratories, U.S., and colleagues.

Plague primarily afflicts rodents, including rats, mice, gerbils, squirrels, marmots and prairie dogs. The bacteria circulate within these host populations through several flea vector species. Fleas can transmit Y. pestis in different stages following an infectious blood meal; transmission can occur the very next time they feed, a phenomenon referred to as early-phase transmission. Later, “blockage-dependent transmission” occurs after Y. pestis forms a bacterial biofilm in the fleas’ digestive systems, blocking the flow of an incoming meal and causing blood to recoil back into the bite site after mixing with the biofilm.

In the new study, researchers for the first time empirically evaluated the relative efficiency of the different phases of transmission by individual fleas. Cohorts of a ground squirrel flea, Oropsylla montana, were infected by feeding on mouse or rat blood infected with Y. pestis. Transmission efficiency of individual O. montana fleas was then measured over a four-week period and the researchers created models to show how this efficiency would translate to the spread of Y. pestis through a rodent population.

The results indicated that blockage-dependent transmission is much more efficient than early-phase transmission, in terms of the probability of transmission, the number of bacteria transmitted, and the capability of driving an epizootic outbreak. Early-phase transmission, the models showed, could drive an epizootic only in naïve, very susceptible host populations and when the flea burden is high. Moreover, the low dose of bacteria typically transmitted in early-phase transmission may “immunize” many individuals, acting to promote an enzootic state.

“Our models suggest that exposure of most wild rodents to sublethal, immunizing doses of Y. pestis transmitted during the early phase may ameliorate rapid epizootic spread by reducing the number of susceptible individuals in the population,” the authors say. “In many situations early-phase transmission may be more important in maintaining the enzootic state than in driving an epizootic.”

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Festival of the Cranes

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Last Saturday , December 3, Dr. Paul P., Becky D. and Jim T. tabled for Prairie Dog Pals at the annual international Festival of the Cranes in Socorro, NM. Sake was our species ambassador or ”Spokes Rodent”. This was Sake’s first outreach event and she was fantastic… staying up and alert the entire day! We were in the first floor of the Macey Center of the New Mexico Tech campus in Socorro. We shared the room with a herpetology group. It was a long day overall starting out at 0630 for the drive and arriving home at 9 pm! It was a very successful, well attended event. The previous two years I provided virtual lectures on prairie dogs for this annual event due to Covid. The last picture shows Sake crashing once back home… she was understandably worn out!

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Disease and weather induce rapid shifts in a rangeland ecosystem mediated by a keystone species (Cynomys ludovicianus).

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1-1 of 1 ()

1. Ecol Appl. 2022 Aug 2:e2712. doi: 10.1002/eap.2712. Online ahead of print.

Disease and weather induce rapid shifts in a rangeland ecosystem mediated by a keystone species (Cynomys ludovicianus).

Duchardt CJ(1)(2), Augustine DJ(3), Porensky LM(3), Beck JL(2), Hennig JD(2), Pellatz DW(4), Scasta JD(2), Connell LC(5), Davidson AD(6)(7).

Author information: (1)Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. (2)Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA. (3)USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. (4)Thunder Basin Grassland Prairie Ecosystem Association, Bill, Wyoming, USA. (5)Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. (6)Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. (7)Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Habitat loss and changing climate have direct impacts on native species but can also interact with disease pathogens to influence wildlife communities. In the North American Great Plains, black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a keystone species that create important grassland habitat for numerous species and serve as prey for predators, but lethal control driven by agricultural conflict has severely reduced their abundance. Novel disease dynamics caused by epizootic plague (Yersinia pestis) within prairie dog colonies have further reduced prairie dog abundances, in turn destabilizing associated wildlife communities. We capitalized on a natural experiment, collecting data on prairie dog distributions, vegetation structure, avian abundance, and mesocarnivore and ungulate occupancy before (2015-2017) and after (2018-2019) a plague event in northeastern Wyoming, USA. Plague decimated black-tailed prairie dog populations in what was then the largest extant colony complex, reducing colony cover in the focal area from more than 10,000 ha to less than 50 ha. We documented dramatic declines in mesocarnivore occupancy and raptor abundance post-plague, with probability of occupancy or abundance approaching zero in species that rely on prairie dogs for a high proportion of their diet (e.g., ferruginous hawk [Buteo regalis], American badger [Taxidea taxus], and swift fox [Vulpes velox]). Following the plague outbreak, abnormally high precipitation in 2018 hastened vegetation recovery from prairie dog disturbance on colonies in which constant herbivory had formerly maintained shortgrass structure necessary for certain colony-associates. As a result, we observed large shifts in avian communities on former prairie dog colonies, including near-disappearance of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) and increases in mid-grass associated songbirds (e.g., lark bunting [Calamospiza melanocorys]). Our research highlights how precipitation can interact with disease-induced loss of a keystone species to induce drastic and rapid shifts in wildlife communities. Although grassland taxa have co-evolved with high spatiotemporal variation, fragmentation of the remaining North American rangelands paired with higher-than-historical variability in climate and disease dynamics are likely to destabilize these systems in the future.

© 2022 The Ecological Society of America.

DOI: 10.1002/eap.2712 PMID: 36404372

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Evaluation of stress response in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in arid regions from colonies in Chihuahua Mexico

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Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2022 Oct 28;330:114150. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114150. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Among all the regulatory homeostatic networks in vertebrates, the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal axis during the stress response, has gained considerable attention, and the measurement of fecal glucocorticoids (FGC) has become an invaluable tool to assess adrenocortical activity related to stressful events in wild and captive animals. However, the use of FGC requires the validation of measurement techniques and the proper selection of the specific hormone according to the study species. The main objective of this study was to identify the dominant glucocorticoid (GC) hormone in the stress response of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in an arid grassland of Chihuahua, Mexico. A capture stress challenge in the field was developed to determine if the levels of glucocorticoids (cortisol and corticosterone) both in serum and fecal samples could be attributed to stress in Cynomys ludovicianus. The samples were analysed with the technique of liquid phase radioimmunoassay , and this study showed that both cortisol and corticosterone are present at measurable levels in serum and fecal samples of black-tailed prairie dogs. We found that both GCs were present in similar concentrations in serum, however, corticosterone concentration in fecal samples was higher than cortisol. Likewise, biochemical validations performed in this study to test the assay reached acceptable levels of reliability. Therefore, we confirm that fecal analysis can be implemented as a method to measure stress responses in wild prairie dogs.

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FWP to conduct swift fox survey this winter along Hi-Line

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Swift fox were once abundant on the Great Plains, but in the early 1900s numbers began to decline in response to government poisoning campaigns aimed at wolves, prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Swift foxes lost a prey source in prairie dogs and ground squirrels, and when wolves declined, they couldn’t outcompete coyotes and red foxes for food.

 

Wrestling moves

Read More:  Fox

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Wildlife numbers on the decline in Southwest Colorado, plummeting worldwide

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Wildlife populations worldwide have plunged an average of 69% since 1970. That was the staggering conclusion of the Living Planet Report 2022 released by the World Wildlife Fund earlier this month. The report is based on an analysis of 32,000 monitored populations of vertebrates (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish) that included 5,230 species from 1970 to 2018.

Read More at:  Decline

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Boom and bust cycles of black-tailed prairie dog populations in the Thunder Basin grassland ecosystem

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Ana D Davidson, David J Augustine, Hannah Jacobsen, Dave Pellatz, Lauren M Porensky, Gwyn McKee, Courtney Duchardt
Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 103, Issue 5, October 2022, Pages 1112–1126, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyac035
Published:
04 May 2022

Abstract

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) exhibit boom and bust cycles in landscapes where they are affected by outbreaks of plague caused by the introduced bacterium Yersinia pestis. We examined spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies in the Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming over a period of 21 years. The colony complex experienced three plague epizootics during that time, and consequently three boom and bust cycles. The entire prairie dog colony complex collapsed over a 1-year period during the first and third epizootics, and over a 3-year period during the second epizootic. The boom and bust cycles were characterized by relatively rapid contractions in total area occupied by prairie dogs during a plague outbreak (e.g., >99% decline from 10,604 ha to 47 ha over 1 year [2017–2018]) followed by much slower recovery times (e.g., an increase from 410 ha to 10,604 ha over 11 years [2006–2017]). Prairie dogs occupied a total of 10,604 ha during at least one survey within the study period, but much of the area was not continuously occupied over time. We found that each of the three plague outbreaks occurred in years with highly connected prairie dog colonies and slightly above-average temperatures and summer precipitation, which were preceded by a dry year. Although plague outbreaks were associated with climatic conditions, we were unable to detect a role of climate in driving colony expansion. Our results illustrate the cyclic and extreme nature of fluctuations in black-tailed prairie dog colony size and distribution in a landscape where plague occurs and illuminate some of the drivers of these cycles. Further, our work shows how introduced diseases can dramatically influence populations of a keystone species, with important consequences for the broader ecological system.

https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/103/5/1112/6580036?login=false

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Last Release of 2022

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The tanks are all empty and the cages have been cleaned; the hay has been swept out of the staging facility; the volunteers, bless them, have returned to a normal schedule; the Suburban and tanker have been put up for what we hope will be a LONG winter’s rest; and most, if not all, of the prairie dogs are now hibernating.
The now silent staging facility still holds echoes of prairie dogs in transit. Happy, hectic, hopeful, hateful, fearful echoes of our transient guests.
Today, Ray W, Frances G, and C Rex ventured out to the refuge with the last 34 prairie dogs of the summer season. We had prairie dogs from Belen, Los Lunas, Tramway and Central, and Tramway and Lomas.
You can see it was an absolutely gorgeous day, a bit cool, but a perfect day to release the remaining PDs.
The first  thing we did was  group the kennels according to  area, you can see the Los Lunas kennels here.
Here Ray is releasing a Los Lunas PD.
Here, Frances is releasing the prairie dogs she caught from Lomas.
During the course of the morning we investigated the area and found that the PDs had spread out into adjacent areas, exactly as planned. We also provided additional food at  all the feeding  stations and winterized  the drinkers.  The supplemental feeding seems to have helped them in the process of establishing their own digs.
A great day!
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540 Paisano Update

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PDP has advised the developer that they were successful in removing all prairie dogs from the site. Multiple trips to check were made over the past few days and we are confident that there are no prairie dogs there. However, we will check back in the spring if construction has not commenced.   Many thanks to all  those involved for the work associated with this removal!

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Monkey Pox Talking Points

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Thanks to Kaitie Schneider, Program Coordinator, Rockies and Plains Program, Defenders of Wildlife who put together the following talking points regarding the Monkey Pox outbreak:

According to the CDC, in the summer of 2003, health officials and scientists investigated several reports of monkeypox among individuals who became ill after having contact with sick captive prairie dogs. Investigators determined that a shipment of animals from Ghana were imported to Texas in April 2003 and introduced monkeypox virus to captive prairie dogs in the United States. In total, 47 persons became ill with monkeypox during this time. The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus group of viruses. The prairie dogs in the pet trade acquired the monkeypox virus following contact with these infected rodents that were imported as exotic pets. These prairie dogs were sold as pets before they developed signs of infection. This was the first time that human monkeypox cases were reported outside of Africa.

Read more at:  Monkey Pox

 

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A novel mechanism of streptomycin resistance in Yersinia pestis: Mutation in the rpsL gene

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Abstract

Streptomycin is considered to be one of the effective antibiotics for the treatment of plague. In order to investigate the streptomycin resistance of Y. pestis in China, we evaluated strep- tomycin susceptibility of 536 Y. pestis strains in China in vitro using the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and screened streptomycin resistance-associated genes (strA and strB) by PCR method. A clinical Y. pestis isolate (S19960127) exhibited high-level resis- tance to streptomycin (the MIC was 4,096 mg/L). The strain (biovar antiqua) was isolated from a pneumonic plague outbreak in 1996 in Tibet Autonomous Region, China, belonging to the Marmota himalayana Qinghai–Tibet Plateau plague focus. In contrast to previously reported streptomycin resistance mediated by conjugative plasmids, the genome sequenc- ing and allelic replacement experiments demonstrated that an rpsL gene (ribosomal protein S12) mutation with substitution of amino-acid 43 (K43R) was responsible for the high-level resistance to streptomycin in strain S19960127, which is consistent with the mutation reported in some streptomycin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Streptomycin is used as the first-line treatment against plague in many countries. The emergence of strep- tomycin resistance in Y. pestis represents a critical public health problem. So streptomycin susceptibility monitoring of Y. pestis isolates should not only include plasmid-mediated resistance but also include the ribosomal protein S12 gene (rpsL) mutation, especially when treatment failure is suspected due to antibiotic resistance.

Read More:  Novel

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Pentaplex real-time PCR for differential detection of Yersinia pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis and application for testing fleas collected during plague epizootics

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Microbiologyopen. 2020 Oct;9(10):e1105. doi: 10.1002/mbo3.1105. Epub 2020 Aug 12.

Free PMC article

Abstract

Upon acquiring two unique plasmids (pMT1 and pPCP1) and genome rearrangement during the evolution from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, the plague causative agent Y. pestis is closely related to Y. pseudotuberculosis genetically but became highly virulent. We developed a pentaplex real-time PCR assay that not only detects both Yersinia species but also differentiates Y. pestis strains regarding their plasmid profiles. The five targets used were Y. pestis-specific ypo2088, caf1, and pst located on the chromosome, plasmids pMT1 and pPCP1, respectively; Y. pseudotuberculosis-specific chromosomal gene opgG; and 18S ribosomal RNA gene as an internal control for flea DNA. All targets showed 100% specificity and high sensitivity with limits of detection ranging from 1 fg to 100 fg, with Y. pestis-specific pst as the most sensitive target. Using the assay, Y. pestis strains were differentiated 100% by their known plasmid profiles. Testing Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis-spiked flea DNA showed there is no interference from flea DNA on the amplification of targeted genes. Finally, we applied the assay for testing 102 fleas collected from prairie dog burrows where prairie dog die-off was reported months before flea collection. All flea DNA was amplified by 18S rRNA; no Y. pseudotuberculosis was detected; one flea was positive for all Y. pestis-specific targets, confirming local Y. pestis transmission. Our results indicated the assay is sensitive and specific for the detection and differentiation of Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis. The assay can be used in field investigations for the rapid identification of the plague causative agent.
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Characterization of faecal and caecal microbiota of free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus) using high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene

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Conserv Physiol. 2021 Jun 15;9(1):coab042. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coab042. eCollection 2021.

Free PMC article

Abstract

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are keystone species within their grassland ecosystems; their population stability affects a multitude of other species. The goals of this study were to explore, describe and compare the bacterial communities in caecal and hard faecal samples from free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs (n = 36) from KS, USA, using high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and to compare sex and geographic locations. A total of 22 paired faecal and caecal samples were collected post-mortem from free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs from 5 different geographical locations. The results revealed that the microbiota of both faecal and caecal samples were dominated by the phylum Firmicutes (genera belonging to the Clostridiales order). There was significantly greater richness in faecal compared with caecal samples. There were significant differences between the 5 different geographic regions (P < 0.001), specifically in the relative abundances of genera. There were differences in rare members of the microbiome between faecal samples from male and female prairie dogs but with no significant impact on overall community structure. This study provides novel data and expands our knowledge about the gastrointestinal microbiome composition of free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs, which has potential to inform conservation efforts and improve their captive management.

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Two fatal cases of plague after consumption of raw marmot organs

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Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020; 9(1): 1878–1880.
Published online 2020 Aug 21. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1807412
PMCID: PMC7473306
PMID: 32762515
Jan Kehrmann,a Walter Popp,b,c Battumur Delgermaa,d Damdin Otgonbayar,d Tsagaan Gantumur,e Jan Buer,a and Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakhd

ABSTRACT

Marmots are an important reservoir of Yersinia pestis and a source of human plague in Mongolia. We present two fatal cases of plague after consumption of raw marmot organs and discuss the distribution of natural foci of Y. pestis in Mongolia.

Letter

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world and has killed millions of people over the centuries [1]. Y. pestis has acquired virulence factors that make it a unique member of the family of Yersiniaceae, transmitted as a predominantly vector-borne pathogen. Plague is an endemic disease in many parts of the world. Wild rodents are an important reservoir of Y. pestis and its maintenance relies on flea vectors and climate [2]. Climate conditions affect all three components of the plague cycle: bacteria, vectors and animal hosts. Marmots are the main reservoir of Y. pestis in Mongolia and are an important source of human infection [3,4]. Y. pestis is commonly transmitted by fleabites. However, plague after the consumption of raw meat has rarely been reported [5-7]. Here, we present two fatal cases of plague caused by eating raw marmot organs, and we discuss the epidemiology of Y. pestis infection of small rodents in Mongolia.

A 38-year old Mongolian resident of Kazakh ethnicity from Bayan Ulgii aimag (province) in western Mongolia worked as a border guard. He called the emergency medical service from his home, reporting fever, abdominal pain, and bloody vomitus. Soon after his call, he died (28 April 2019). He had hunted and prepared marmots on 22 and 25 April and had been vaccinated with an EV76 Y. pestis vaccine one year previously. He and his 37-year old wife had consumed meat and raw marmot organs (kidney, stomach and gallbladder) on 22, 23, and 25 April. His wife visited a physician daily from 26 to 28 April because of fever, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and headache. She reported celebrating with friends between 22 and 25 April but concealed her contact with and consumption of raw marmot meat. Retrospective interviews with neighbours and older children revealed that the man and his wife were the only persons in the group of friends who had consumed raw marmot meat. The wife refused in-hospital diagnostic tests and was treated as outpatient with erythromycin and anti-inflammatory drugs. After the husband died at home, a tentative diagnosis of plague was made for the wife, and she was treated in the hospital with intravenous gentamicin and ceftriaxone. However, she died on 1 May. The couple left behind four children aged between nine months and twelve years.

Autopsy of the husband on 29 April found no fleabites or enlarged lymph nodes. His inner organs (stomach, oesophagus, liver, kidneys, and lungs) were enlarged and blood-filled and showed signs of inflammation. Y. pestis was cultured on Hottinger blood agar and detected by PCR with Pla1 (5’GAATGAAAATCTCTGAGG3’) and Pla2 (5’TCCAGCGTTAATTACGG3’) and pFRA1 (5’TCAGTTCCGTTATCGCC3’) and pFRA2 (5’GTTAGATACGGTTACGGT3’) primers from blood, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, brain and bone marrow. The identification was confirmed by phage lysis according to the Mongolian national guidelines. The wife presented with pharyngeal inflammation and swollen cervical lymph nodes. Y. pestis was detected by PCR and by culture of samples from an enlarged cervical lymph node. Y. pestis was also detected in swab specimens from the inflamed throat, blood, and gut.

Although both cases involved zoonotic and not interhuman infections, the detection of Y. pestis in the lungs during autopsy prompted the authorities to follow infection prevalence measures. Because it was possible that both patients had contracted secondary pneumonic plague, the authorities followed the Mongolian national plague guidelines for pneumonic plague. All 124 persons who had come into close contact with the couple between 22 and 28 April were treated prophylactically with doxycycline or ciprofloxacin. Ulgii city (34,000 residents) was quarantined from 1 to 6 May. F1-antigen tests were performed on throat swab specimens of 198 close contact persons, family members, friends, colleagues, and medical staff at least six days after the last contact, and all results were negative.

Annual surveys of the prevalence of Y. pestis in Mongolia from 2012 to 2019 found that 137 soums (districts) of 13 aimags have natural plague foci, with a high infection prevalence for Bayan Ulgii in the western part of the country (Figure 1(A)). The infection prevalence of marmots and their associated fleas in Bayan Ulgii aimag was 20.2% in 2018 and 16.8% in 2019. It was determined from testing 287 small rodents and 261 fleas in 2018 and 397 small rodents and 312 fleas in 2019 in this area by serologic tests and PCR: in case of positivity, bacteriologic culture was performed additionally.

A. Geographic distribution of natural foci of plague in Mongolia as assessed from 2012 to 2019. Categorization of prevalence took into account the extent and continuity of Y. pestis infection of small rodents in various regions of Mongolia over the past eight years. For each aimag (province), a minimum of 80–100 small rodents and fleas associated with the rodents in an area 100–120 kilometres square were examined annually with serologic tests (F1-antigen and plague specific antibody test) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Positive samples were subjected to bacteriologic culture. B. Picture of Marmota sibirica. C and D. Preparation of traditional marmot boodog: Burning furs with flame (C) and cooked marmot boodog (D).

Of the 73 reported cases of plague in Mongolia since 1998, 59% have been associated with close contact with infected marmots and 7% with eating raw marmot organs (data provided by National Centre for Zoonotic Diseases, Ministry of Health, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia).

The rapid clinical course of the disease and the absence of signs of lymphadenitis with the detection of Y. pestis in the blood indicate that the husband died of septicaemic plague caused by the consumption of raw marmot infected with Y. pestis. Y. pestis infection occurred even though the man had received an EV76 vaccine one year previously. There is no evidence showing that the available Y. pestis vaccines provide humans with long-lasting immunity and protection from plague [8,9].

The combination of pharyngeal inflammation, swollen cervical lymph nodes, detection of the pathogen in cervical lymph node tissue and pharyngeal swab specimens, and the absence of fleabites indicate that the wife was also infected by consuming raw marmot meat. Pharyngeal inflammation and swollen cervical lymph nodes have previously been reported among patients who have consumed raw marmot meat [5,6,10]. The wifés concealment of consumption of raw marmot meat contributed to a delayed diagnosis. Because hunting marmots has been prohibited by the Mongolian government since 2014, Mongolians fear punishment when they admit this activity. Marmot, prepared as boodog (filled with hot stones), is a national dish in Mongolia (Figure 1(B–D)), and, because Mongolians assume that boodog has healthful benefits, marmot hunting is a covert activity. When marmots are prepared for boodog, especially before the fur is burnt away with a blowtorch, fleas infected with Y. pestis may change their host, thereby typically causing bubonic plague. Marmota sibirica, a species that also lives in Western Mongolia, exhibits a relatively high resistance to plague (50%–80% survive infection), a feature that has been suggested to play an important role in the persistence of the pathogen [3].

The habit of eating infected raw marmot meat is a possible means of infection with plague in Mongolia. Cooking efficiently inactivates Y. pestis [11]: thus, infections in Mongolia are associated with consumption of raw meat, not with the consumption of cooked boodog. The most important mode of Y. pestis infection in Mongolia is close contact with infected marmots. A study from Zambia [12] found that the risk of transfer of Y. pestis from infected fleas on captured animals to humans is higher during hunting and transporting of marmots rather than during preparation of animals for food. That study showed that hunting behaviour, mode of transportation of carcasses, and method of preparation of carcasses may substantially influence the risk of flea transmission.

A diagnosis of plague should be considered in areas with active plague foci, including the Bayan Ulgii aimag in the western part of Mongolia [3,13] where the dead couple resided. Only few reports of plague connected with the consumption of raw meat have been published to date; most cases are associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked camel meat [5–7,10]. The patients reported here had no fleabites and their predominant symptoms were bloody vomitus and sepsis in one case and gastrointestinal symptoms and pharyngeal inflammation in the other. Therefore, we conclude that the infections were caused by the consumption of raw marmot meat.

Marmot meat is considered a delicacy in Mongolia, but its consumption confers a risk of Y. pestis infection. In plague-endemic districts, healthcare professionals obtaining a patient´s medical history should ask about consumption of marmot and plague should be considered as a tentative diagnosis. Communicating the risk of Y. pestis infection after close contact with or consumption of marmot meat, especially raw meat, may increase the awareness of plague among the population.

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Disclosure statement

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References

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Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020; 9(1): 1878–1880.
Published online 2020 Aug 21. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1807412
PMCID: PMC7473306
PMID: 32762515
Jan Kehrmann,a Walter Popp,b,c Battumur Delgermaa,d Damdin Otgonbayar,d Tsagaan Gantumur,e Jan Buer,a and Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakhd


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Prairie dogs’ language decoded by scientists

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Human-animal translation devices may be available within 10 years, researcher says

Prairie dogs give each other detailed descriptions of humans nearby, including the colour of their clothing, their size and whether they have carried a gun. (Hyungwon Kang/Reuters)

Did that prairie dog just call you fat? Quite possibly. On The Current Friday, biologist Con Slobodchikoff described how he learned to understand what prairie dogs are saying to one another and discovered how eloquent they can be.

Slobodchikoff, a professor emeritus at North Arizona University, told Erica Johnson, guest host of The Current, that he started studying prairie dog language 30 years ago after scientists reported that other ground squirrels had different alarm calls to warn each other of flying predators such as hawks and eagles, versus predators on the ground, such as coyotes or badgers.

Read more:  Language

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Lateral Approach for Excision of Maxillary Incisor Pseudo-Odontoma in Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus)

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Abstract

Aim: To describe our experience with lateral approach for excision of maxillary pseudo-odontomas and to illustrate surgical outcomes and postoperative complications in seven pet prairie dogs. Materials and methods: Excision of 11 maxillary pseudo-odontomas was performed in seven prairie dogs with a lateral approach technique and clinical presentation, duration of surgery, time and type of post-surgical complications, presence or absence of symptom recurrence, time to follow-up, overall survival time and causes of death of each case were recorded. Results: Duration of surgery, postoperative hospitalization and time to autonomous feeding were 54.8 min, 58 h and 1 day, respectively. Recurrence of respiratory symptoms was observed in four cases. Mean follow-up time was 632 days. Six out of seven cases were still alive at the end of the study. Conclusion: The lateral approach to excision showed good and promising results for treatment of maxillary pseudo-odontomas in prairie dogs.
Authors:
Igor Pelizzone
Gaetano D Vitolo
Massimo D’Acierno
Damiano Stefanello
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Minutes of the General Meeting

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The general meeting of Prairie Dog Pals was conducted via Zoom on 7 February 2021.  The minutes of the meeting can be accessed via the following link:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2021 Meeting:  2021 Meeting Minutes

The good news is that we completed 2020 with a small surplus.  We have plenty planned for 2021 and judging by the dry winter, our stewards will be very busy.

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Fipronil Pellets Reduce Flea Abundance on Black-tailed Prairie Dogs: Potential Tool for Plague Management and Black-footed Ferret Conservation

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Abstract

In western North America, sylvatic plague (a flea-borne disease) poses a significant risk to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their primary prey, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Pulicides (flea-killing chemicals) can be used to suppress fleas and thereby manage plague. In South Dakota, USA, we tested edible “FipBit” pellets, each containing 0.84 mg fipronil, on free-living black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludivicianus). FipBits were applied along transects at 125 per ha and nearly eliminated fleas for 2 mo. From 9-14 mo post-treatment, we found only 10 fleas on FipBit sites versus 1,266 fleas on nontreated sites. This degree and duration of flea control should suppress plague transmission. FipBits are effective, inexpensive, and easily distributed but require federal approval for operational use.

David A Eads, Travis M Livieri, Phillip Dobesh, Eddie Childers, Lauren E Noble, Michele C Vasquez, Dean E Biggins
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Study shows several peridomestic mammal species are potential spreaders of SARS-CoV-2

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Of the nine species that had been evaluated, three of them (i.e., deer mice, striped skunks and bushy-tailed woodrats) shed infectious viral particles following challenge. Conversely, the study showed that house mice, raccoons, fox squirrels, Wyoming ground squirrels, cottontail rabbits and black-tailed prairie dogs are not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Read More at:  https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210126/Study-shows-several-peridomestic-mammal-species-are-potential-spreaders-of-SARS-CoV-2.aspx

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Perineuronal net expression in the brain of a hibernating mammal

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Abstract

During hibernation, mammals like the 13-lined ground squirrel cycle between physiological extremes. Most of the hibernation season is spent in bouts of torpor, where body temperature, heart rate, and cerebral blood flow are all very low. However, the ground squirrels periodically enter into interbout arousals (IBAs), where physiological parameters return to non-hibernating levels. During torpor, neurons in many brain regions shrink and become electrically quiescent, but reconnect and regain activity during IBA. Previous work showed evidence of extracellular matrix (ECM) changes occurring in the hypothalamus during hibernation that could be associated with this plasticity. Here, we examined expression of a specialized ECM structure, the perineuronal net (PNN), in the forebrain of ground squirrels in torpor, IBA, and summer (non-hibernating). PNNs are known to restrict plasticity, and could be important for retaining essential connections in the brain during hibernation. We found PNNs in three regions of the hypothalamus: ventrolateral hypothalamus, paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and anterior hypothalamic area. We also found PNNs throughout the cerebral cortex, amygdala, and lateral septum. The total area covered by PNNs within the PVN was significantly higher during IBA compared to non-hibernating and torpor (P < 0.01). Additionally, the amount of PNN coverage area per Nissl-stained neuron in the PVN was significantly higher in hibernation compared to non-hibernating (P < 0.05). No other significant differences were found across seasons. The PVN is involved in food intake and homeostasis, and PNNs found here could be essential for retaining vital life functions during hibernation

Anna Marchand  1 , Christine Schwartz  2
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Circadian transcription factor HSF1 regulates differential HSP70 gene transcription during the arousal-torpor cycle in mammalian hibernation

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Abstract

Mammalian hibernation is a seasonal phenomenon. The hibernation season consists of torpor periods with a reduced body temperature (Tb), interrupted by euthermic arousal periods (interbout arousal, IBA). The physiological changes associated with hibernation are assumed to be under genetic control. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern hibernation-associated gene regulation are still unclear. We found that HSP70 transcription is upregulated in the liver of nonhibernating (summer-active) chipmunks compared with hibernating (winter-torpid) ones. In parallel, HSF1, the major transcription factor for HSP70 expression, is abundant in the liver-cell nuclei of nonhibernating chipmunks, and disappears from the nuclei of hibernating ones. Moreover, during IBA, HSF1 reappears in the nuclei and drives HSP70 transcription. In mouse liver, HSF1 is regulated by the daily Tb rhythm, and acts as a circadian transcription factor. Taken together, chipmunks similarly use the Tb rhythm to regulate gene expression via HSF1 during the torpor-arousal cycle in the hibernation season.

Daisuke Tsukamoto  1 , Tomoko Hasegawa  2 , Shin-Ichi Hirose  2 , Yukina Sakurai  2 , Michihiko Ito  2 , Nobuhiko Takamatsu  3
Affiliations
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IMVAMUNE ® and ACAM2000 ® Provide Different Protection against Disease When Administered Postexposure in an Intranasal Monkeypox Challenge Prairie Dog Model

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Abstract

The protection provided by smallpox vaccines when used after exposure to Orthopoxviruses is poorly understood. Postexposu re administration of 1st generation smallpox vaccines was effective during eradication. However, historical epidemiological reports and animal studies on postexposure vaccination are difficult to extrapolate to today’s populations, and 2nd and 3rd generation vaccines, developed after eradication, have not been widely tested in postexposure vaccination scenarios. In addition to concerns about preparedness for a potential malevolent reintroduction of variola virus, humans are becoming increasingly exposed to naturally occurring zoonotic orthopoxviruses and, following these exposures, disease severity is worse in individuals who never received smallpox vaccination. This study investigated whether postexposure vaccination of prairie dogs with 2nd and 3rd generation smallpox vaccines was protective against monkeypox disease in four exposure scenarios. We infected animals with monkeypox virus at doses of 104 pfu (2× LD50) or 106 pfu (170× LD50) and vaccinated the animals with IMVAMUNE® or ACAM2000® either 1 or 3 days after challenge. Our results indicated that postexposure vaccination protected the animals to some degree from the 2× LD50, but not the 170× LD5 challenge. In the 2× LD50 challenge, we also observed that administration of vaccine at 1 day was more effective than administration at 3 days postexposure for IMVAMUNE®, but ACAM2000® was similarly effective at either postexposure vaccination time-point. The effects of postexposure vaccination and correlations with survival of total and neutralizing antibody responses, protein targets, take formation, weight loss, rash burden, and viral DNA are also presented.

M Shannon Keckler  1   2 , Johanna S Salzer  1   3 , Nishi Patel  1   4 , Michael B Townsend  1 , Yoshinori J Nakazawa  1 , Jeffrey B Doty  1 , Nadia F Gallardo-Romero  1 , Panayampalli S Satheshkumar  1 , Darin S Carroll  1   5 , Kevin L Karem  1   6 , Inger K Damon  1
Affiliations
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An invasive disease, sylvatic plague, increases fragmentation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies

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Abstract

Context: A disease can be a source of disturbance, causing population declines or extirpations, altering species interactions, and affecting habitat structure. This is particularly relevant for diseases that affect keystone species or ecosystem engineers, leading to potentially cascading effects on ecosystems.

Objective: We investigated the invasion of a non-native disease, plague, to a keystone species, prairie dogs, and documented the resulting extent of fragmentation and habitat loss in western grasslands. Specifically, we assessed how the arrival of plague in the Conata Basin, South Dakota, United States, affected the size, shape, and aggregation of prairie dog colonies, an animal species known to be highly susceptible to plague.

Methods: Colonies in the prairie dog complex were mapped every 1 to 3 years from 1993 to 2015. Plague was first confirmed in 2008 and we compared prairie dog complex and colony characteristics before and after the arrival of plague.

Results: As expected the colony complex and the patches in colonies became smaller and more fragmented after the arrival of plague; the total area of each colony and the mean area per patch within a colony decreased, the number of patches per colony increased, and mean contiguity of each patch decreased, leading to habitat fragmentation.

Conclusion: We demonstrate how an emerging infectious disease can act as a source of disturbance to natural systems and lead to potentially permanent alteration of habitat characteristics. While perhaps not traditionally thought of as a source of ecosystem disturbances, in recent years emerging infectious diseases have shown to be able to have large effects on ecosystems if they affect keystone species.

Krystal M Keuler  1 , Gebbiena M Bron  1 , Randall Griebel  2 , Katherine L D Richgels  1
Affiliations
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Evaluation of Yersinia pestis Transmission Pathways for Sylvatic Plague in Prairie Dog Populations in the Western U.S

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Abstract

Sylvatic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is periodically responsible for large die-offs in rodent populations that can spillover and cause human mortalities. In the western US, prairie dog populations experience nearly 100% mortality during plague outbreaks, suggesting that multiple transmission pathways combine to amplify plague dynamics. Several alternate pathways in addition to flea vectors have been proposed, such as transmission via direct contact with bodily fluids or inhalation of infectious droplets, consumption of carcasses, and environmental sources of plague bacteria, such as contaminated soil. However, evidence supporting the ability of these proposed alternate pathways to trigger large-scale epizootics remains elusive. Here we present a short review of potential plague transmission pathways and use an ordinary differential equation model to assess the contribution of each pathway to resulting plague dynamics in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) and their fleas (Oropsylla hirsuta). Using our model, we found little evidence to suggest that soil contamination was capable of producing plague epizootics in prairie dogs. However, in the absence of flea transmission, direct transmission, i.e., contact with bodily fluids or inhalation of infectious droplets, could produce enzootic dynamics, and transmission via contact with or consumption of carcasses could produce epizootics. This suggests that these pathways warrant further investigation.

Katherine L D Richgels  1   2 , Robin E Russell  1 , Gebbiena M Bron  1   2 , Tonie E Rocke  3
Affiliations
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A Novel Retrovirus (Gunnison’s Prairie Dog Retrovirus) Associated With Thymic Lymphoma in Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs in Colorado, USA

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Abstract

As part of research and wildlife disease surveillance efforts, we performed necropsy examinations of 125 free-ranging (n = 114) and captive (n = 11) prairie dogs in Colorado from 2009 to 2017. From these cases, we identified three cases of thymic lymphoma in free-ranging Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), and we identified a novel retroviral sequence associated with these tumors. The viral sequence is 7700 nucleotides in length and exhibits a genetic organization that is consistent with the characteristics of a type D betaretrovirus. The proposed name of this virus is Gunnison’s prairie dog retrovirus (GPDRV). We screened all 125 prairie dogs for the presence of GPDRV using PCR with envelope-specific primers and DNA extracted from spleen samples. Samples were from Gunnison’s prairie dogs (n = 59), black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) (n = 40), and white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) (n = 26). We identified GPDRV in a total of 7/125 (5.6%) samples including all three of the prairie dogs with thymic lymphoma, as well as spleen from an additional four Gunnison’s prairie dogs with no tumors recognized at necropsy. None of the GPDRV-negative Gunnison’s prairie dogs had thymic lymphomas. We also identified a related, apparently endogenous retroviral sequence in all prairie dog samples. These results suggest that GPDRV infection may lead to development of thymic lymphoma in Gunnison’s prairie dogs.

Molly D Butler  1 , Karen Griffin  2 , Connie D Brewster  1 , Marylee L Kapuscinski  1 , Mark D Stenglein  1 , Daniel W Tripp  2 , Sandra L Quackenbush  1 , Karen A Fox  2
Affiliations
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A Novel Retrovirus (Gunnison’s Prairie Dog Retrovirus) Associated With Thymic Lymphoma in Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs in Colorado, USA

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Abstract

As part of research and wildlife disease surveillance efforts, we performed necropsy examinations of 125 free-ranging (n = 114) and captive (n = 11) prairie dogs in Colorado from 2009 to 2017. From these cases, we identified three cases of thymic lymphoma in free-ranging Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), and we identified a novel retroviral sequence associated with these tumors. The viral sequence is 7700 nucleotides in length and exhibits a genetic organization that is consistent with the characteristics of a type D betaretrovirus. The proposed name of this virus is Gunnison’s prairie dog retrovirus (GPDRV). We screened all 125 prairie dogs for the presence of GPDRV using PCR with envelope-specific primers and DNA extracted from spleen samples. Samples were from Gunnison’s prairie dogs (n = 59), black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) (n = 40), and white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) (n = 26). We identified GPDRV in a total of 7/125 (5.6%) samples including all three of the prairie dogs with thymic lymphoma, as well as spleen from an additional four Gunnison’s prairie dogs with no tumors recognized at necropsy. None of the GPDRV-negative Gunnison’s prairie dogs had thymic lymphomas. We also identified a related, apparently endogenous retroviral sequence in all prairie dog samples. These results suggest that GPDRV infection may lead to development of thymic lymphoma in Gunnison’s prairie dogs.

Molly D Butler  1 , Karen Griffin  2 , Connie D Brewster  1 , Marylee L Kapuscinski  1 , Mark D Stenglein  1 , Daniel W Tripp  2 , Sandra L Quackenbush  1 , Karen A Fox  2
Affiliations

 

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Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 Confirmed in Wild Rabbits in the United States

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Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2), a notifiable foreign animal disease, has been confirmed for

the first time in wild rabbits in the United States.

Read more:  Rabbit

If you live in New Mexico….and in the event you find a sick or dead rabbit…

From Wildlife Rescue: “The disease has been found in Southern and Eastern NM and it is only a matter or time when it will be found here in our area. It is highly contagious, but only to other rabbits, domestic rabbits and species within the rabbit family. Baby rabbits don’t seem to be affected at least at this time.”

If we (Wildlife Rescue) receive any phone calls regarding someone reporting dead or sick wild rabbits, we are asking them for info on where these rabbits are located and reporting this to USGS/NMG&F or to our mammal coordinator. We are telling people not to handle or rescue these rabbits themselves or to wear gloves if handling them.

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FLEA PARASITISM AND HOST SURVIVAL IN A PLAGUE-RELEVANT SYSTEM: THEORETICAL AND CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS.

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Author information:
1. US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA’.
2. US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA

Abstract

Plague is a bacterial zoonosis of mammalian hosts and flea vectors. The disease is capable of ravaging rodent populations and transforming ecosystems. Because plague mortality is likely to be predicted by flea parasitism, it is critical to understand vector dynamics. It has been hypothesized that paltry precipitation and reduced vegetative production predispose herbivorous rodents to malnourishment and flea parasitism, and flea parasitism varies directly with plague mortality. We evaluated these hypotheses on five colonies of Utah prairie dogs (UPDs; Cynomys parvidens), on the Awapa Plateau, Utah, USA, in 2013-16. Ten flea species were identified among 3,257 fleas from UPDs. These 10 flea species parasitize prairie dogs, mice, rats, voles, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots, all known hosts of plague. The abundance of fleas on individual UPDs (1,198 observations) varied inversely with UPD body condition; fleas were most abundant on lightweight, malnourished UPDs. Flea abundance on UPDs was highest in dry years that were preceded by wet years. Increased precipitation and soil moisture in the prior year might generate humid microclimates in UPD burrows (that could facilitate flea survival and reproduction) and paltry precipitation in the current year could predispose UPDs to malnourishment and flea parasitism. Annual re-encounter rates for UPDs (1,072 observations) were reduced in wetter years preceded by drier years; reduced precipitation and vegetative production might kill UPDs, and increased flea densities in drier years could provide conditions for plague transmission (and UPD mortality) when moisture returns. Re-encounter rates were reduced for UPDs carrying at least one flea compared to UPDs with no detected fleas. These results support the hypothesis that reduced precipitation in the current year predisposes UPDs to flea parasitism. Our results also suggest a link between flea parasitism and UPD mortality. Given documented connections between flea parasitism and plague transmission, our results point toward an effect of flea parasitism on plague-related deaths for individual UPDs, a phenomenon rarely investigated in nature.

 

PMID: 31880988
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Every year, between 1,000 to 2,000 people get the plague

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The plague – yes, that plague – is back in the news. But it never really went away.

Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 people get the plague every year, the World Health Organisation reported. But that total is likely too modest an estimate, since it doesn’t account for unreported cases.
Even by US standards, four cases is unusually low. An average of seven Americans get the plague every year, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Plague
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The First Time the Plague Broke Out in the US, Officials Tried to Deny It

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At the turn of the 20th century, the world was gripped by a plague pandemic that had spread from China to port cities around the globe. So when a 41-year-old San Franciscan named Wong Chut King died of a particularly violent disease in March 1900, there were worries that the pandemic had finally reached U.S. soil.

After examining samples from King’s autopsy, the head of the city’s Marine Hospital Service confirmed those fears: the plague had come to America. And unfortunately, it never left.

 

Read More:  California

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The functional roles of mammals in ecosystems

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The diverse functional roles of over 6,000 species of extant mammals that range in body size across eight orders
of magnitude, from blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) to tiny Etruscan shrews (Suncus etruscus), contribute
to shaping Earth’s ecosystems. Large mammalian herbivores (e.g., African elephants [Loxodonta africana],
American bison [Bison bison], hippopotamuses [Hippopotamus amphibius]) and carnivores (e.g., wolves [Canis
lupus], pumas [Puma concolor], sea otters [Enhydra lutris]) often have significant effects on primary producers in
terrestrial, aquatic, and marine systems through nutrient cycling, energy flow, and the exertion of bottom-up and
top-down processes. Small mammals, like bats, are important pollinators, dispersers of fruits, and consumers of
arthropods, and others, especially rodents and primates, are important predators and dispersers of seeds. Many of
these mammal-mediated processes occur simultaneously in the same ecosystem, and have significant effects on
community structure of primary producers that in turn alter communities of other vertebrates and invertebrates.
Many mammals also are ecosystem engineers (e.g., elephants, American beavers [Castor canadensis], porcupines
[Erithezon dorsatum], prairie dogs [Cynomys spp.]) that create, significantly modify, or destroy habitat, and by
doing so, they alter ecosystem structure and function and increase habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity. The
extensive influence mammals have on ecosystems results in important services that contribute to human wellbeing,
such as pollination, insect pest control, and bioturbation of soils. The rapid declines in abundance of many
mammal populations and the associated increase in extinction risk raise conservation concerns for mammals.
To maintain mammalian diversity and the critical ecosystem processes they provide, scientists need to mobilize
concern for their status and strive for more effective and comprehensive conservation action. We provide insights
and synthesis on the ecological role of mammals and highlight key research questions and future directions for
their conservation.

Read more:  Mammal

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Spring Garage Sale

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The Prairie Dog Pals Spring garage sale will be held on Friday and Saturday, 17-18 May 2019, at 917 Morris St. NE, between the hours of 800 AM and 400 PM. Donate, shop, volunteer, or just drop by to chat! All are welcome!

If you want to donate you can drop off your treasures at 917 Morris St. NE. Please contact Debbie S at 505 205 7966 so that she can coordinate the drop-off. Please provide an inventory (with values) if you want a tax receipt. Also it would be extremely helpful if you could price your items. I mean only you can assess the true value of your treasures, right?

If you want to help with the sale, let Debbie know.

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Plague-Positive Mouse Fleas on Mice Before Plague Induced Die-Offs in Black-Tailed and White-Tailed Prairie Dogs.

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Bron GM 1, 2, Malavé CM 1, Boulerice JT 3, Osorio JE 2, Rocke TE 1.

Author information:
1. 1 U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin.
2. 2 Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin.
3. 3 Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Laramie, Wyoming.

Abstract

Plague is a lethal zoonotic disease associated with rodents worldwide. In the western United States, plague outbreaks can decimate prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies. However, it is unclear where the causative agent, Yersinia pestis, of this flea-borne disease is maintained between outbreaks, and what triggers plague-induced prairie dog die-offs. Less susceptible rodent hosts, such as mice, could serve to maintain the bacterium, transport infectious fleas across a colony, or introduce the pathogen to other colonies, possibly facilitating an outbreak. Here, we assess the potential role of two short-lived rodent species, North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and Northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster) in plague dynamics on prairie dog colonies. We live-trapped short-lived rodents and collected their fleas on black-tailed (Cynomys ludovicianus, Montana and South Dakota), white-tailed (Cynomys leucurus, Utah and Wyoming), and Utah prairie dog colonies (Cynomys parvidens, Utah) annually, from 2013 to 2016. Plague outbreaks occurred on colonies of all three species. In all study areas, deer mouse abundance was high the year before plague-induced prairie dog die-offs, but mouse abundance per colony was not predictive of plague die-offs in prairie dogs. We did not detect Y. pestis DNA in mouse fleas during prairie dog die-offs, but in three cases we found it beforehand. On one white-tailed prairie dog colony, we detected Y. pestis positive fleas on one grasshopper mouse and several prairie dogs live-trapped 10 days later, months before visible declines and plague-confirmed mortality of prairie dogs. On one black-tailed prairie dog colony, we detected Y. pestis positive fleas on two deer mice 3 months before evidence of plague was detected in prairie dogs or their fleas and also well before a plague-induced die-off. These observations of plague positive fleas on mice could represent early spillover events of Y. pestis from prairie dogs or an unknown reservoir, or possible movement of infectious fleas by mice.

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Prairie Dogs, Persistent Plague, Flocking Fleas, and Pernicious Positive Feedback.

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1. Front Vet Sci. 2019 Mar 28;6:75. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00075. eCollection 2019.
Biggins DE 1, Eads DA 1, 2.

Author information:
1. United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
2. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.

Abstract

Plague (caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis) is a deadly flea-borne disease that remains a threat to public health nearly worldwide and is particularly disruptive ecologically where it has been introduced. We review hypotheses regarding maintenance and transmission of Y. pestis, emphasizing recent data from North America supporting maintenance by persistent transmission that results in sustained non-epizootic (but variable) rates of mortality in hosts. This maintenance mechanism may facilitate periodic epizootic eruptions “in place” because the need for repeated reinvasion from disjunct sources is eliminated. Resulting explosive outbreaks that spread rapidly in time and space are likely enhanced by synergistic positive feedback (PFB) cycles involving flea vectors, hosts, and the plague bacterium itself. Although PFB has been implied in plague literature for at least 50 years, we propose this mechanism, particularly with regard to flea responses, as central to epizootic plague rather than a phenomenon worthy of just peripheral mention. We also present new data on increases in flea:host ratios resulting from recreational shooting and poisoning as possible triggers for the transition from enzootic maintenance to PFB cycles and epizootic explosions. Although plague outbreaks have received much historic attention, PFB cycles that result in decimation of host populations lead to speculation that epizootic eruptions might not be part of the adaptive evolutionary strategy of Y. pestis but might instead be a tolerated intermittent cost of its modus operandi. We also speculate that there may be mammal communities where epizootics, as we define them, are rare or absent. Absence of plague epizootics might translate into reduced public health risk but does not necessarily equate to inconsequential ecologic impact.

PMCID: PMC6447679 Free PMC Article

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Arizona Game and Fish Commission considers a rule prohibiting predator-killing contests

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Your help is requested for this time sensitive and urgent call for comments on banning Coyote Killing Contests in Arizona. As you know New Mexico recently achieved this state wide band under intense pressure from outside sources. Arizona will face even more pressure against establishing this ban. Please research scientific and humane reasoning for banning these contests by visiting Project Coyote. If you think that banning these horrific contests is a slam dunk, yoiu are mistaken. The forces that have promoted these contests are very powerful. Your voice is essential.

Members of the public who wish to submit comments on the proposed rule can send their feedback via e-mail at rulemaking@azgfd.gov. They can also mail their comments to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Rules Section at 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix AZ 85086.

Republic file photo An adult male coyote rests in the sun about 50 yards from his den near the Indian Bend bike path. An adult male rests in the late afternoon sun about 50 yards from his coyote den. A family of six coyotes, one male, one female and four pups had created a den just off the Indian Bend bike path north of Jackrabbit in this 2010 photo.

Read more:  Arizona

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Tularemia ( Francisella tularensis) in a Black-Tailed Prairie Dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus) Colony.

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Cherry CC 1, 2, Kwit NA 1, 3, Ohms RE 4, Hammesfahr AM 4, Pappert R 3, Petersen JM 3, Nelson CA 3, Buttke DE 2.

Author information:
1. 1 Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
2. 2 Wildlife Health Branch, Biological Resources Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, USA.
3. 3 Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.
4. 4 Devils Tower National Monument, National Park Service, PO Box 10, Devils Tower, Wyoming 82714, USA.

Abstract

Tularemia is a bacterial zoonosis caused by Francisella tularensis. We conducted a serosurvey of black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus) in

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, following an epizootic in voles ( Microtus spp.) due to F. tularensis. Only 1 of 44 (2%) sampled prairie dogs was seropositive for F. tularensis, providing evidence of survival and potentially limited spread among free-ranging prairie dogs.
PMID: 30920904
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Endangered wildlife are getting dosed with rat poisons

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People who consider rodents to be pests often turn to an array of products, known as anticoagulant rodenticides, which are marketed to lethally “solve” the issue with poisoned bait. But researchers have been collecting evidence for years showing that it’s not just nuisance rats that can end up dead.

Some of the most recent studies, conducted in California, found that everything from Pacific fishers to bobcats to northern spotted owls often become victims of rodenticides. The list of potentially affected wildlife is long – basically anything that preys on a rodent could be at risk, because the poisons are so toxic they travel up the food chain, and in some cases, can remain in an animal’s body for years. It can even leapfrog in utero from one generation to the next.

 

 

Read more:  Poison

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Thom Smith | NatureWatch: Proposed border wall will impact 93 endangered and threatened species

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A new study by the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz., claims President Trump’s border wall threatens 93 endangered and threatened species, including jaguars, ocelots, Mexican gray wolves and cactus ferruginous pygmy owls.

This Aug. 12, 2017, photo shows posters in support of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, home to 400-plus species of birds and several endangered wildcats, at a rally in Mission, Texas. The U.S. government carefully designed a path of least resistance to building a border wall in Texas, picking the wildlife refuge and other places it already owns or controls to quickly begin construction. All it needed was Congress to approve the money. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Read more:  Wall

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Evaluation of Five Pulicides to Suppress Fleas on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Encouraging Long-Term Results with Systemic 0.005% Fipronil.

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1. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2019 Jan 8. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2339. [Epub ahead of print]

Eads DA 1, Biggins DE 2, Bowser J 2, Broerman K 2, Livieri TM 3, Childers E 4, Dobesh P 5, Griebel RL 5.

Author information:
1. 1 Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
2. 2 U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.
3. 3 Prairie Wildlife Research, Wellington, Colorado.
4. 4 National Park Service, Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota.
5. 5 U.S. Forest Service, Wall, South Dakota.

Abstract

Plague, a flea-borne disease, hampers efforts to restore populations of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), which occupy colonies of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in North America. Plague is managed by infusing prairie dog burrows with DeltaDust® 0.05% deltamethrin, a pulicide that kills fleas. Experiments are needed to identify pulicides that can be used in rotation with DeltaDust for integrated plague management. In South Dakota, USA, we tested the efficacy of four pulicide dusts when applied at a rate of 8 g per burrow on colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus): Sevin® 5% carbaryl; Dusta-cide® 6% malathion; Alpine® 0.25% dinotefuran with 95% diatomaceous earth; and Tri-Die® 1% pyrethrum with 40% amorphous silica and 10% piperonyl butoxide. We also tested systemic 0.005% fipronil, which was distributed as ½ cup of laced grain per burrow. We sampled prairie dogs on 3294 occasions and detected 10,041 fleas. Sevin and Dusta-cide suppressed fleas but only for 1 month. Neither Alpine nor Tri-Die had any noticeable, consistent effect on fleas. Fipronil suppressed fleas by 97-100% for 3 months. The residual effect of fipronil persisted for ∼12 months. Efficacy of fipronil seems comparable with DeltaDust, which exhibited a residual effect for ∼10 months in prior studies. Continued research is needed to optimize fipronil treatments for plague management on prairie dog colonies.
PMID: 30620249
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Investigation of the utility of feces and hair as non-invasive measures of glucocorticoids in wild black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus).

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1. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2019 Feb 5. pii: S0016-6480(18)30251-X. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.02.003. [Epub ahead of print]

Crill C 1, Janz DM 2, Kusch JM 3, Santymire RM 4, Heyer GP 3, Shury TK 5, Lane JE 3.

Author information:
1. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Electronic address: colleen.crill@gmail.com.
2. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
3. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
4. Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Lincoln Park Zoo, United States.
5. Parks Canada Agency, Canada.

Abstract

Non-invasive measures of glucocorticoid (GC) hormones and their metabolites, particularly in feces and hair, are gaining popularity as wildlife management tools, but species-specific validations of these tools remain rare. We report the results of a validation on black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), a highly social engineer of the grasslands ecosystem that has experienced recent population declines. We captured adult female prairie dogs and brought them into temporary captivity to conduct an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test, assessing the relationship between plasma GC and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) levels following a single injection of a low (4 IU/kg) or high dose (12 IU/kg) of ACTH, compared to a single injection of saline. We also gave repeated injections of ACTH to adult females to assess whether this would result in an increase of hair cortisol concentrations, compared with control individuals repeatedly injected with saline. A single injection of ACTH at either low or high dose peaked plasma cortisol levels after 30 min, and thereafter the cortisol levels declined until 120 min, where they returned to pre-treatment levels comparable to those of the saline injected group. Despite the significant elevation of plasma cortisol in the treatment groups following ACTH injection, the elevation of FGM levels in the treatment groups were not significantly different from those in the control group over the following 12 hours. Repeated injection of a high dose of ACTH failed to increase hair cortisol concentration in treatment animals. Instead, hair cortisol levels remained comparable to the pre-treatment mean, despite an increase in post-treatment hair cortisol levels seen in the saline-injected group. The magnitude of increase in the saline control group was comparable to natural seasonal variation seen in unmanipulated individuals. These results highlight that while measurement of GCs and their metabolites in feces and hair are potentially valuable conservation tools, further validation work is required before these matrices can be to real-world conservation applications.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.
PMID: 30735671
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An improved method for detecting torpor entrance and arousal in a mammalian hibernator using heart rate data.

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Item 1 of 1    ( Display the citation in PubMed)

 

1. J Exp Biol. 2018 Feb 22;221(Pt 4). pii: jeb174508. doi: 10.1242/jeb.174508.

MacCannell ADV 1, Jackson EC 2, Mathers KE 3, Staples JF 3.

Author information:
1. Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A5B8, Canada amaccann@uwo.ca.
2. Department of Computer Science, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A5B7, Canada.
3. Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A5B8, Canada.

Abstract

We used electrocardiogram (ECG) telemeters to measure the heart rate of hibernating Ictidomys tridecemlineatus (thirteen-lined ground squirrel). An increase in heart rate from 2.2 to 5 beats min-1 accurately identified arousal from torpor before any change in body temperature was detected. Variability in raw heart rate data was significantly reduced by a forward-backward Butterworth low-pass filter, allowing for discrete differential analysis. A decrease in filtered heart rate to 70% of maximum values in interbout euthermia (from approximately 312 to 235 beats min-1) accurately detected entrance into torpor bouts. At this point, body temperature had fallen from 36.1°C to only 34.7°C, much higher than the 30°C typically used to identify entrance. Using these heart rate criteria allowed advanced detection of entrance and arousal (detected 51.9 and 76 min earlier, respectively), compared with traditional body temperature criteria. This method will improve our ability to detect biochemical and molecular markers underlying these transition periods, during which many physiological changes occur.

© 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Free Article
PMID: 29361606 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
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Where the Bison Roam

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For example, we know that prairie dogs have a significant and visible footprint on the prairie. Prairie dogs eat a lot of grass, which can alter the types of grass that are on the grasslands. They also serve as prey for many predators.

Another keystone species, bison, are the architects of the prairies. They break up the turf with their hooves and create wallows during their dust baths, which create depressions and fill up with water when it rains. They are big animals who have a big impact on the landscape.

 

Read more:  Prairie

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Effects of Deltamethrin Treatment on Small Mammal and Ectoparasite Population Dynamics and Plague Prevalence in a North American Mixed-Grass Prairie System.

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Maestas LP1, Britten HB1.

Author information

Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota.

Abstract

Sylvatic plague affects many species in North American prairie ecosystems. Deltamethrin is commonly used to manage fleas in potential outbreak areas. Understanding the role of small mammals and their ectoparasites in sylvatic plague maintenance is pertinent to understanding the ecology of plague and its persistence in nature. This study examined the effects of plague management using deltamethrin on communities of small mammals, their flea faunas, and Yersinia pestis prevalence. We trapped small mammals from 2014 to 2016 on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation (LOBR), South Dakota, and analyzed the effects of deltamethrin treatment on small mammal populations, flea loads, and Y. pestis prevalence. We collected higher flea loads from small mammals on sites not treated with deltamethrin (1.10 fleas per animal) than from deltamethrin-treated sites (1.03 fleas per animal). We observed significant negative trends in mean flea load per animal between pre- and post-treatment collections. We detected no significant effects of deltamethrin treatment on animal captures pre- and post-treatment, but observed significant differences in animal captures by experimental unit. We detected no serological evidence for the presence of Y. pestis antibodies in small mammals and 1.2% Y. pestis prevalence across all sampled fleas. Although there is little overlap in the species of fleas infesting small mammals and prairie dogs, the occurrence of flea spillover has been documented. In our study, treatment with deltamethrin reduced flea loads on small mammals by up to 49%. Our data suggest that although the efficacy of deltamethrin on the LOBR-a mixed-grass system-may not be as high as that found in a comparable study in a short-grass system, deltamethrin is still a useful tool in the management of plague.

KEYWORDS:

; South Dakota; deltamethrin; fleas; plague management; small mammals

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Do Animals Hate the Bitter Cold of Winter?

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Animals can certainly feel the cold, and many species have developed unique ways of dealing with it

While the weather outside may indeed get frightful this winter, a parka, knit hat, wool socks, insulated boots and maybe a roaring fire make things bearable for people who live in cold climates. But what about all the wildlife out there? Won’t they be freezing?

Anyone who’s walked their dog when temperatures are frigid knows that canines will shiver and favor a cold paw – which partly explains the boom in the pet clothing industry. But chipmunks and cardinals don’t get fashionable coats or booties.

In fact, wildlife can succumb to frostbite and hypothermia, just like people and pets. In the northern United States, the unfurred tails of opossums are a common casualty of cold exposure. Every so often an unusual cold snap in Florida results in iguanas falling from trees and manatees dying from cold stress.

Read more:  COLD

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Prairie Dog Burrow Timelapse

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This is a very nice video about who visits a prairie dog burrow!  Check it out!  Time Lapse

Hi All,

For those of you who were not already coerced into commenting on early drafts  – we made a fun time lapse video from still photos collected by one of our Reconyx cameras on a prairie dog colony north of Fort Collins this fall.  It just got posted this morning to CPW’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Thanks to all those who have helped with the video or elsewhere on the project!  Feel free to share or make use of the video if you have the need.

– Reesa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpJYrZ2MMJk

https://www.facebook.com/104599519602883/posts/2149977435065071/

 

—

Reesa Yale Conrey

Avian Researcher

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

317 West Prospect Rd.

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Phone: 970-472-4384

Email: reesa.conrey@state.co.us

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Third cat tests positive for bubonic plague in Wyoming

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For the third time in recent months, a cat has tested positive for bubonic plague in Wyoming, the state’s Department of Health reports. No human cases have been identified, but health officials warn the disease can be passed to people from infected animals.

 The most recent case involved a cat in the small town of Kaycee. Officials said the animal was known to wander outdoors. The disease was confirmed by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie.

Read more:  Wyoming

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Denver Water Prairie Dog Update

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Jan 15, 2019 — 

As many of you know, Denver Water took out a kill contract with Ronnie Purcella of Animal and Pest Control Specialists to needlessly kill two beautiful colonies of prairie dogs in Denver and Arapahoe County. The needless slaughter of these sentient beings occurred despite the fact that Denver Water owns over 1200 acres of open prairie land in Jefferson County that they could have easily relocated these colonies to, and they certainly could have allowed them to live in their only homes since there were no construction plans and the prairie dogs were simply living their lives. Obviously, money was no object because they spend over $12,000 hiring ERO resources to do an environmental survey and at least $33,000 hiring an exterminator to kill them.

 

Read more:  Update

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PDP Annual Meeting

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Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Well it is that time again. The Annual Meeting will be held on 3 February 2019 at:
YMCA of Central New Mexico
12500 Comanche Rd. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87111

(505)595-1515 option 2 ext 4105
The annual meeting will be held from 200 to 400 in the building on the south side of the campus. The parking lot is adjacent to Comanche, you walk south passing the main building which will be on your left. I will be meeting with them late January and will provide you with any updates or changes. Hope to see you there.

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Evaluation of Five Pulicides to Suppress Fleas on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs:

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1. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2019 Jan 8. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2339. [Epub ahead of

print]
Evaluation of Five Pulicides to Suppress Fleas on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs:
Encouraging Long-Term Results with Systemic 0.005% Fipronil.
Eads DA(1), Biggins DE(2), Bowser J(2), Broerman K(2), Livieri TM(3), Childers
E(4), Dobesh P(5), Griebel RL(5).
Author information:
(1)1 Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
(2)2 U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.
(3)3 Prairie Wildlife Research, Wellington, Colorado.
(4)4 National Park Service, Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota.
(5)5 U.S. Forest Service, Wall, South Dakota.
Plague, a flea-borne disease, hampers efforts to restore populations of
black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), which occupy colonies of prairie dogs
(Cynomys spp.) in North America. Plague is managed by infusing prairie dog
burrows with DeltaDust® 0.05% deltamethrin, a pulicide that kills fleas.
Experiments are needed to identify pulicides that can be used in rotation with
DeltaDust for integrated plague management. In South Dakota, USA, we tested the
efficacy of four pulicide dusts when applied at a rate of 8
g per burrow on
colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus): Sevin® 5% carbaryl;
Dusta-cide® 6% malathion; Alpine® 0.25% dinotefuran with 95% diatomaceous earth;
and Tri-Die® 1% pyrethrum with 40% amorphous silica and 10% piperonyl butoxide.
We also tested systemic 0.005% fipronil, which was distributed as
½
cup of laced
grain per burrow. We sampled prairie dogs on 3294 occasions and detected 10,041
fleas. Sevin and Dusta-cide suppressed fleas but only for 1 month. Neither Alpine
nor Tri-Die had any noticeable, consistent effect on fleas. Fipronil suppressed
fleas by 97-100% for 3 months. The residual effect of fipronil persisted for
∼
12
months. Efficacy of fipronil seems comparable with DeltaDust, which exhibited a
residual effect for
∼
10 months in prior studies. Continued research is needed to
optimize fipronil treatments for plague management on prairie dog colonies.
DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2339
PMID: 30620249
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/portal/utils/file_backend.cgi?Db=p
…
2FPubMedGroup%401.141&BaseUrl=&PortName=live&FileName=
1/12/19, 11N28 AM
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Our backyard killing fields

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In recent years, wildlife killing contests have taken root in Minnesota, as well as almost every other state in the country. The name is straightforward: they are competitions for killing the most — or largest, or smallest — of a certain species of wildlife within a designated time period. The most common victims are coyotes, but mountain lions, wolves, raccoons, foxes, crows, rabbits, bobcats and prairie dogs are all targeted as well. Three of these horrific contests are soon to take place in our backyard.

Contestants, who sometimes are children, typically pay a registration fee to the sponsoring organization, which might be a sportsman’s club, a local restaurant or bar, a veterans organization or even a chamber of commerce.

Read More:  Killing Contests

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City of Lawton pays fine for prairie dog mismanagement

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LAWTON (KFDX/KJTL) – The Prairie Dog Park in Wichita Falls is well known, but north of the Red River, there’s one in Elmer Thomas Park, but new developments have revealed the city of Lawton will have to pay a state fine due to prairie dog mismanagement.

Those violations include the city’s use of pesticides, storage, licensing and record keeping.

The city contested some of the allegations.

Read more:  Lawton

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Coyote-killing contests banned

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SANTA FE – Just over a week after being sworn into office, state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has taken aim at coyote-killing contests on 9 million acres of New Mexico state trust land.

In an executive order that could prove difficult to enforce, the recently elected land commissioner described the organized killing contests as being inconsistent with sound land management and damaging to the natural order between predators and prey.

“These are not hunting contests – they are animal cruelty contests,” said Garcia Richard, who was joined by more than a dozen environmental and wildlife advocates at a Thursday news conference at the State Land Office.

Read more:  Ban

 

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Residents upset with Denver Water over prairie dog management

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DENVER — A neighborhood was convinced Denver Water was working with them to protect a colony of prairie dogs, but the utility company decided to hire an exterminator instead.

The small rodents are living on a lot owned by Denver Water near Quebec Way and Florida Avenue. Some residents complained that the animals were digging holes and getting too close to children.

Read more:  Denver

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Annual Meeting

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The annual meeting of Prairie Dog Pals will occur on 3 February 2019.  The “usual place” is not available and we are looking at a couple of different venues.  Regardless, the General Meeting will be held from 200-400 PM at a location to be determined, in Albuquerque, I’ll keep you informed of developments.

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Yavapai County Board of Supervisors (AZ) Passes Proclamation Condemning Wildlife Killing Contests

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YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. — The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a proclamation that opposes wildlife killing contests. Arizona citizens belonging to a coalition known as I AM WOLF NATION in partnership with Project Coyote and other wildlife and animal protection organizations have been working to end wildlife killing contests in Yavapai County and other Arizona localities. Yavapai County’s proclamation follows on the heels of a similar Dewey-Humboldt Town Council resolution that passed in November.

 

Read more:  Yavapai

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2019 PDP Calendars

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We are now taking orders for the PDP 2019 calendar.
 
Calendars by Sharyn: Sharyn does all of the artwork for Prairie Dog Pals including the cute pictures posted on FB. The calendars are 17 x 11 (open) and have a full sized picture on the top half (8 1/2 x 11) and the calendar with highlighted PD dates on the bottom. They run from February through January and will be available for only a short time. The calendars are $20 and that includes postage. Woo Hoo, you can pay by paypal or network for good but let C Rex know that you are buying a calendar, prairiedogpals@prairiedogpals.org!
 
The calendars will be printed up in January and distributed. There will be some available at the annual meeting on 2 February 2019. If you pick up locally, the cost will be $15.
 
Order now!
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Longmont City Council to consider proposed prairie dog control ordinance

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Longmont City Council on Tuesday night will consider for the first time an ordinance that would require property owners to get prairie dog management permits before killing the animals on their properties.

The measure would impose new restrictions and conditions on controlling prairie dogs on both privately and publicly owned properties.

It would revise the city’s current prairie dog regulations that now generally only affect properties that have applied for formal city approval of the owners’ development or redevelopment project proposals.

Read More:  Longmont

 

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Relocate the Stonegate Prairie Dogs: Stop Poisoning Wildlife!

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Prairie Protection Colorado (PPC) has been working with Stonegate residents to save approximately 30 surviving black-tailed prairie dogs from a recent fumitoxin poisoning in their neighborhood. The Stonegate Village Metropolitan District had every intention to poison these survivors and “finish off” this colony until residents got involved and began to fight for their relocation rather than their annihilation. A new home for these survivors has been found in Sedalia Colorado and the owners of this land would love to welcome these prairie dogs to a healthy and beautiful colony currently existing at this location. 

Read more:  Petition

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Rancher Takes a Chance on the Black-footed Ferret

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Rancher Greg Moore is a land steward in the true
sense of the word. Every decision made, every action
taken on his 25,000-acre Wagon Mound Ranch
in the northeastern part of the state is done with
consideration of the health and improvement of the land
for all those who depend on it, including himself, his herd
of 400-some cows, and the wildlife that live on and pass
through the ranch. The ranch is under conservation
easement, held by NMLC, “to protect it from development,”
Greg explains, and to preserve all the improvements he’s
made on the property over the years.
Read more:  Rancher
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Garage Sale

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The final Prairie Dog Pals phantasmagorical garage sale of 2018 (Halloween is coming) will be held on Saturday, 27 October 2018, at 5219 Vista Bonita NE, between the hours of 800 AM and 300 PM. Donate, shop, or just drop by to chat! All are welcome!

If you want to donate you can drop off your treasures at 5219 Vista Bonita NE from Wednesday, 24 October, onwards. Please contact Tania or Ray at 505 237 0347 so that they can have the forklift ready to help you unload. (just kidding) Please provide an inventory (with values) if you want a tax receipt. Also it would be extremely helpful if you could price your items. I mean only you can assess the true value of your treasures, right?

If you want to help with the sale, let Ray know.

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Local factors associated with on-host flea distributions on prairie dog colonies.

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Abstract

Outbreaks of plague, a flea-vectored bacterial disease, occur periodically in prairie dog populations in the western United States. In order to understand the conditions that are conducive to plague outbreaks and potentially predict spatial and temporal variations in risk, it is important to understand the factors associated with flea abundance and distribution that may lead to plague outbreaks. We collected and identified 20,041 fleas from 6,542 individual prairie dogs of four different species over a 4-year period along a latitudinal gradient from Texas to Montana. We assessed local climate and other factors associated with flea prevalence and abundance, as well as the incidence of plague outbreaks. Oropsylla hirsuta, a prairie dog specialist flea, and Pulex simulans, a generalist flea species, were the most common fleas found on our pairs. High elevation pairs in Wyoming and Utah had distinct flea communities compared with the rest of the study pairs. The incidence of prairie dogs with Yersinia pestis detections in fleas was low (n = 64 prairie dogs with positive fleas out of 5,024 samples from 4,218 individual prairie dogs). The results of our regression models indicate that many factors are associated with the presence of fleas. In general, flea abundance (number of fleas on hosts) is higher during plague outbreaks, lower when prairie dogs are more abundant, and reaches peak levels when climate and weather variables are at intermediate levels. Changing climate conditions will likely affect aspects of both flea and host communities, including population densities and species composition, which may lead to changes in plague dynamics. Our results support the hypothesis that local conditions, including host, vector, and environmental factors, influence the likelihood of plague outbreaks, and that predicting changes to plague dynamics under climate change scenarios will have to consider both host and vector responses to local factors.

Read more:  Fleas

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Parasitism of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs by Linognathoides cynomyis (Phthiraptera: Polyplacidae).

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Abstract

The following study investigates louse parasitism of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus (Ord, Rodentia: Sciuridae)) on 20 plots at 13 colonies in the short-grass prairie of New Mexico, USA, June-August, 2011-2012. Among 124 lice collected from 537 prairie dogs during 1,207 sampling events in which anesthetized animals were combed for ectoparasites, all of the lice were identified as Linognathoides cynomyis (Kim, Phthiraptera: Polyplacidae). Data were analyzed under an information-theoretic approach to identify factors predicting louse parasitism. Lice were most prevalent on plots with high densities of prairie dogs. At the scale of hosts, lice were most abundant on prairie dogs in poor body condition (with low mass:foot ratios) and prairie dogs harboring large numbers of fleas (Siphonaptera, mostly Oropsylla hirsuta (Baker, Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) and Pulex simulans (Baker,Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)). Lice have been implicated as supplemental vectors of the primarily flea-borne bacterium Yersinia pestis (Yersin, Enterobacteriales: Yersiniaceae), a re-emerging pathogen that causes sylvatic plague in prairie dog populations. Coparasitism by lice and fleas, as found herein, might enhance plague transmission. L. cynomyis deserves attention in this context.

Read more:  Parasite

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Amyloid-producing Odontoameloblastoma in a Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

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A 6-year-old female black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) was presented with a space-occupying lesion in the left submandibular region. On computed tomography, a low attenuating, poorly circumscribed mass infiltrated the left mandibular bone, with osteolytic change. Microscopically, the lesion was composed of odontogenic epithelium proliferating in nests and embedded in abundant dental papilla-like ectomesenchyme, including dentine and enamel. Multifocal amyloid deposition was observed. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic epithelial cells were positive for cytokeratin (CK) AE1/AE3, CK14 and p63. Some epithelial cells were positive for amelogenin and some adjacent to the amyloid deposits co-expressed S100. The ectomesenchymal cells expressed vimentin and strong S100 immunoreactivity was observed in odontoblast-like cells. The amyloid was immunolabelled with amelogenin. The tumour was diagnosed as amyloid-producing odontoameloblastoma.

Read more: Odontoama

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