Prairie Dog Pals

Dedicated to the Preservation of Prairie Dogs and their Habitat

Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs

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Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: Plague, a widely distributed zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors, poses a significant risk to ecosystems throughout much of Earth. Conservation biologists use insecticides for flea control and plague mitigation. Here, we evaluate the use of an insecticide grain bait, laced with 0.005% fipronil (FIP) by weight, with black-tailed prairie dogs (BTPDs, Cynomys ludovicianus). We consider safety measures, flea control, BTPD body condition, BTPD survival, efficacy of plague mitigation, and the speed of FIP grain application vs. infusing BTPD burrows with insecticide dusts. We also explore conservation implications for endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), which are specialized predators of Cynomys.

Principal findings: During 5- and 10-day laboratory trials in Colorado, USA, 2016-2017, FIP grain had no detectable acute toxic effect on 20 BTPDs that readily consumed the grain. During field experiments in South Dakota, USA, 2016-2020, FIP grain suppressed fleas on BTPDs for at least 12 months and up to 24 months in many cases; short-term flea control on a few sites was poor for unknown reasons. In an area of South Dakota where plague circulation appeared low or absent, FIP grain had no detectable effect, positive or negative, on BTPD survival. Experimental results suggest FIP grain may have improved BTPD body condition (mass:foot) and reproduction (juveniles:adults). During a 2019 plague epizootic in Colorado, BTPDs on 238 ha habitat were protected by FIP grain, whereas BTPDs were nearly eliminated on non-treated habitat. Applications of FIP grain were 2-4 times faster than dusting BTPD burrows.

Significance: Deltamethrin dust is the most commonly used insecticide for plague mitigation on Cynomys colonies. Fleas on BTPD colonies exhibit the ability to evolve resistance to deltamethrin after repeated annual treatments. Thus, more tools are needed. Accumulating data show orally-delivered FIP is safe and usually effective for flea control with BTPDs, though potential acute toxic effects cannot be ruled out. With continued study and refinement, FIP might be used in rotation with, or even replace deltamethrin, and serve an important role in Cynomys and black-footed ferret conservation. More broadly, our stepwise approach to research on FIP may function as a template or guide for evaluations of insecticides in the context of wildlife conservation.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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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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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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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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Treatment of malocclusion in squirrel

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This is an interesting article about a squirrel with malocclusion.  Over the years we have captured prairie dogs with similar problems.  Sometimes a simple clipping of the teeth sets them to right.  Other times the malocclusion cannot be rectified and the animal cannot be released.  In these cases the prairie dog and the person fostering it face a decision of removing the incisors or a lifetime of trimming.  Jim T previously and is currently fostering such a prairie dog.

Here’s the original note that appeared on our Facebook page:  Congrats to Mikey! As he was processing in today, doing the 2/4/20 (2 eyes, 4 teeth, 20 toes) he noted that the PD had ram’s horn teeth. The disorder is usually caused by dislocation of the teeth preventing them from meeting and keeping the upper and lower incisors in check. In this particular case the PD had been born without lower teeth, or had lost them at some point in its life. Eventually they would have grown through roof of the mouth and caused death by starvation or infection. YB and C Rex, trimmed the teeth but without lower teeth to keep the uppers in check, it is likely this this PD will not be released. While I don’t have a picture the upper teeth were about 1″ long and curved back into the mouth. The fact that this PD did not starve indicates that he was able to get enough nutrition using his molars.

It is reassuring that the treatment seems to work well for prairie dogs as well.  Read More:  Treatment of malocclusion in squirrel

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Prairie Dogs Are Cute, But Can They Talk?

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It’s a great article, and the prairie dogs are fascinating (and adorable) little creatures, but with all due respect to Doctor Dolittle, the assertion that non-human animals have language is indeed nonsense.

Animals have no language, despite the occasional complexity of their communication. The error these scientists and journalists make in attributing language to animals is an easy error to make, but it is an error nonetheless. The error lies in the failure to distinguish between designators and signals.

Read More:  Language

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Expansion of prairie dog vaccine proposed

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Use of an oral vaccine that protects prairie dogs from the plague will be expanded on the Charles M. Russell and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuges in Montana under a plan proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The new plan would allow for vaccine distribution on wilderness areas within the refuges and on nearby private lands when requested by landowners. The Service has completed an environmental assessment for the action and is seeking public comment on the proposal.

Read more:  Vaccine

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Grief in Prairie Dogs: Mourning a Death in the Family

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Grief and mourning are more widespread among nonhuman animals (animals) than previously thought (please also see). Today, while riding my bike north of Boulder, I observed an interaction between an adult Black-tailed prairie dog who looked to be a female and a youngster who had been killed by a car. It looked like the accident had happened a few minutes before I happened on the sorrowful scene. I was astounded by what I saw, so I stopped and dictated some notes into my phone that went as follows:

I just watched an adult prairie dog who I think is a female trying to retrieve the carcass of a smaller prairie dog off the road five times – she clearly was trying to remove the carcass from the road – I stopped and finally after the cars stopped she dragged the carcass off the road, walked about 10 feet away, looked at me and looked at the carcass, went back to the carcass and touched it lightly with her forepaws, and walked away emitting a very high-pitched vocalization.

I waited a few minutes to see if she would go back to the carcass and she began to move toward it, looked at me, and stopped — so I left because I didn’t want to disrupt her saying good-bye if that was what she was going to do  — minutes later, when I finally caught up with another rider who was about 100 meters ahead of me, he told me he saw her try to remove the carcass from the road twice.

 

Read more:  Mourn

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Burrowing Owls, Pulex irritans, and Plague.

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This message contains search results from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). Do not reply directly to this message

Sent on: Sat Apr 22 08:14:51 2017

1 selected item: 26367482

PubMed Results

Item 1 of 1    (Display the citation in PubMed)

1. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2015 Sep;15(9):556-64. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1772. Epub 2015 Sep 14.

Belthoff JR1, Bernhardt SA2, Ball CL3, Gregg M4, Johnson DH5, Ketterling R6, Price E7, Tinker JK7.

Author information:

11 Department of Biological Sciences and Raptor Research Center, Boise State University , Boise, Idaho.22 Department of Biology, Utah State University , Logan, Utah.33 Idaho Bureau of Laboratories , Boise, Idaho.44 US Fish and Wildlife Service, Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex , Burbank, Washington.55 Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho and Global Owl Project , Alexandria, Virginia.66 Idaho Bureau of Laboratories and Idaho State University , Boise, Idaho.77 Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University , Boise, Idaho.

Abstract

Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) are small, ground-dwelling owls of western North America that frequent prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) towns and other grasslands. Because they rely on rodent prey and occupy burrows once or concurrently inhabited by fossorial mammals, the owls often harbor fleas. We examined the potential role of fleas found on burrowing owls in plague dynamics by evaluating prevalence of Yersinia pestis in fleas collected from burrowing owls and in owl blood. During 2012-2013, fleas and blood were collected from burrowing owls in portions of five states with endemic plague-Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and South Dakota. Fleas were enumerated, taxonomically identified, pooled by nest, and assayed for Y. pestis using culturing and molecular (PCR) approaches. Owl blood underwent serological analysis for plague antibodies and nested PCR for detection of Y. pestis. Of more than 4750 fleas collected from owls, Pulex irritans, a known plague vector in portions of its range, comprised more than 99.4%. However, diagnostic tests for Y. pestis of flea pools (culturing and PCR) and owl blood (PCR and serology) were negative. Thus, even though fleas were prevalent on burrowing owls and the potential for a relationship with burrowing owls as a phoretic host of infected fleas exists, we found no evidence of Y. pestis in sampled fleas or in owls that harbored them. We suggest that studies similar to those reported here during plague epizootics will be especially useful for confirming these results.
PMID: 26367482 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
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Commissioners vote to euthanize 250 prairie dogs in this Colorado county

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KUSA – Larimer County Commissioners voted to euthanize around 250 prairie dogs on Tuesday as they prepare to break ground on a new county building.

Voters were promised a new county office building in 2013 to replace an “undersized” one built in the ’60s. It’s slated to sit in the heart of Loveland at First Street and Denver Avenue.

Before breaking ground, commissioners made the decision about the prairie dogs after months of discussion.

“Larimer County is going to humanely trap and euthanize [them],” Larimer County Commissioner Tom Donnelly said.

Read more:  Larimer

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Pharmacokinetic Profiles of Meloxicam and Sustained-release Buprenorphine in Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus).

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D Cary Nicole L Lukovsky-Akhsanov Nadia F Gallardo-Romero Cassandra M Tansey Sharon D Ostergaard Willie D Taylor Jr Clint N Morgan Nathaniel Powell George W Lathrop And Christina L Hutson C.

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the pharmacokinetic profiles of meloxicam and sustained-release (SR) buprenorphine in prairiedogs. The 4 treatment groups were: low-dose meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg SC), high-dose meloxicam (4 mg/kg SC), low-dosebuprenorphine SR (0.9 mg/kg SC), and high-dose buprenorphine SR (1.2 mg/kg SC). The highest plasma concentrationsoccurred within 4 h of administration for both meloxicam treatment groups. The therapeutic range of meloxicam in prairiedogs is currently unknown. However, as compared with the therapeutic range documented in other species (0.39 – 0.91 μg/mL),the mean plasma concentration of meloxicam fell below the minimal therapeutic range prior to 24 h in the low-dose groupbut remained above therapeutic levels for more than 72 h in the high-dose group. These findings suggest that the currentmeloxicam dosing guidelines may be subtherapeutic for prairie dogs. The highest mean plasma concentration for buprenorphineSR occurred at the 24-h time point (0.0098 μg/mL) in the low-dose group and at the 8-h time point (0.015 μg/mL) forthe high-dose group. Both dosages of buprenorphine SR maintained likely plasma therapeutic levels (0.001 μg/mL, basedon previous rodent studies) beyond 72 h. Given the small scale of the study and sample size, statistical analysis was not performed. The only adverse reactions in this study were mild erythematous reactions at injection sites for buprenorphine SR.

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Don’t try to boss around a prairie dog

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Word to the wise: don’t tell Ray Durkee what he can or can’t do. You might end up harboring an exotic rodent.

The provenance of perky little Aime, pure prairie dog, named after the 1973 Pure Prairie League hit, is rooted in defiance. Here’s how it went down. Durkee, a West Ashley hair stylist and animal lover, had been browsing the Craigslist pet section when he happened upon an ad for prairie dogs.

Read More:  Boss

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Plea for Help

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Dear Senator Moores and Steinborn,
I express my sincere appreciation for your co-sponsoring SB 268.
In 2015, the two of you made history with SB 253’s passage in the Senate Chamber.
Sadly, we all witnessed what happened at the House Committee meeting.
I remain steadfast that we will witness the passage of this legislation.
I have shared with you how I called Governor Martinez’ office in November 2013 and her Director of Constituent Affairs, Ms. Susan Velasquez, told me “She does not support them.”  When I called back the next day to request a written statement from the Governor, the staff member told me “[I told you that ‘off the record.’]”  That response is inaccurate.
Thereafter, I briefly met with Ms. Mindi Jones.  Her advice was to work with my legislators to help support bills such as this one along.  I explained to her I was doing those activities and I shared these experiences at the 2015 House Committee Meeting.  In 2014, Representative Larranaga indicated to me in an e-mail he would support a bill such as this one even though he did not support HB 316 in 2013.
I have attempted to meet with the Governor’s staff in January-February 2016, but have been unsuccessful in doing so.  My last contact there was Mr. Antonio Carrejo, Policy Analyst.  I waited to see him in the foyer and after 30 minutes he cancelled our meeting citing Mr. Keith Gardner requested he attend another staff meeting.
I have attached, below, correspondence to the Governor’s Office and a letter I received in 2015.
There are numerous wildlife- and biology-centered articles I could include in this message, but I regard the quote below as very effective rationale why animal-killing contests have no place in a society.
Sincerely,
Brenda G. McKenna
Wildlife Advocate/Precinct Chair/Nanbe Tewa Language Coordinator 
87109 & 87506
 
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Love a prairie dog

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Black-tailed prairie dog

Nothing says love like a black-tailed prairie dog — at least the folks at the St. Louis Zoo think so. (And so do the prairie dogs, we presume, who seem like a fuzzy, loving bunch.) For $45, you can “adopt” a prairie dog, with proceeds going to the care and feeding of the animals. You’ll get a 12-inch plush likeness of one of the critters, your name on the zoo parents donor wall and zoo website for a year, and an invite to the Zoo Parents Picnic. Other adoption packages are also available.

Read More:  Adopt

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Duggan: Prairie dogs score a victory in Fort Collins

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Prairie dogs have scored a victory in Fort Collins, or at least their advocates have.

The City Council on Tuesday gave initial approval to a set of changes to the city’s Land Use Code aimed at giving prairie dogs more protection from development than they have enjoyed during the last 20 years.

Read More:  Fort Collins

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Your action makes a difference!

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We change the laws to change their lives.
 

Join APNM/APV by calling your legislators that sit on committees that will hear our priority bills next.

To get the latest updates, make sure you’ve “liked” the APV Facebook page, visit the APV newsroom to see all the alerts we’ve issued, and sign up to receive action alerts!

We are now more than three weeks into the 2017 New Mexico legislative session and riding high on the energy and partnership behind many of our priority bills. You can join the momentum in-person at APV’s Animal Protection Lobby Day on Wednesday, February 22nd as we make our collective voices howl throughout the Capitol!

When you attend Animal Protection Lobby Day, you’ll receive up-to-the minute detailed news about pro and anti-animal legislation, meet and mingle with like-minded community and animal leaders from across the state, learn tips and best practices for lobbying your legislators, enjoy a free nourishing vegan lunch and snacks, attend a powerful press conference in the Capitol rotunda, and cap it all off with a reception at the APV office. Join us in Santa Fe for the whole day or pick which events you’d like to attend. A detailed schedule of events can be found on our Facebook or our Animal Protecion Lobby Day registration page.

Plan Your Trip Now!

Traffic and public parking can be problematic during the session. If you are coming from outside of Santa Fe we strongly encourage you to take the Railrunner to the Santa Fe Depot, then shuttle to the PERA building. Plus, with ID proof, folks 62 and over can ride the train free on Wednesdays through April. OR, find participants in your area to carpool with through the Lobby Day Facebook event page and park at the free public parking at the South Capitol Railrunner station – more details to come.

We’ve been working at a furious pace to make sure pro-animal legislation has the best chance of being passed and to speak out against legislation that is harmful for animals and communities in New Mexico. Please take action on the bills below by clicking on the title links and calling your legislators that will hear these bills next.

Some key highlights from the session so far:

House Bill 123 Expand Statewide Spay/Neuter Services Funding

Sponsored by Rep. Carl Trujillo (D-Santa Fe) in direct response to legislators’ request for a sustainable funding mechanism to address the problem of companion animal overpopulation and high euthanasia rates in our shelters. Working closely with many volunteer stakeholders from around the state, the New Mexico Veterinary Medical Association, Animal Sheltering Board members, and animal shelter directors, we lobbied legislators, submitted expert testimony and encouraged our community to take action through letters and phone calls in support of this bill. HB 123 passed the House Business & Industry Committee by a 7-4 vote. It was then heard by the State Taxation and Revenue Committee on 2/3, attended by citizens from throughout the state who spoke passionately about the need for and effectiveness of low-cost Spay/Neuter programs and was passed by a 11-4 vote on 2/7. Next, HB123 will be voted on by the entire House.

Senate Bill 268 End Horrific Coyote Killing Contests

This bill has been introduced by sponsors Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces) and Sen. Mark Moores (R-Albuquerque) and referred to the Senate Conservation Committee. You may have seen some of the many strong media pieces surrounding this bill, including our press release. Animal Protection Voters is part of a robust coalition of partner organizations working to pass this bill, and together we have been phone-banking, sending action alerts, and encouraging people to share this issue through social media. If your Senator sits on the Senate Conservation Committee, please call and urge them to support SB 286, which has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. Your actions will be part of the tidal wave that will stop these unethical and counter-productive competitions that only serve to glorify violence and detract from our state tourism and economy.

 Senate Bill 286 Ban Cruel Traps and Poisons on Public Lands

This bill is being carried by bi-partisan sponsors Senators Pete Campos (D-Las Vegas) and Gay G. Kernan (R-Hobbs) and has been referred first to the Senate Conservation Committee. Though the bill is not yet scheduled for a hearing, if your Senator sits on this committee, call them to urge a ‘yes’ vote on SB 286. The TrapFree New Mexico coalition has been lobbying, promoting the bill throughout the state’s communities, and activating citizens by encouraging them to write and call their legislators. Among the many media highlights, the Albuquerque Journal published a strong editorial endorsing SB286.

We’re also working hard to make sure our state’s stray, abused and wild equines have options other than to be sold at auction, which is often a pipeline to the slaughterhouse. A bill we first opposed, Senate Bill 126, that would have unintended and negative consequences for wild horses captured on private land, is scheduled to be heard again in the Senate Conservation Committee on 2/9. By working with the bill’s sponsor, Senator Pat Woods, Animal Protection Voters was able to help find a solution that will protect private property while making sure wild horses can be moved back on to public lands, adopted, or in the case of disease or injury, humanely euthanized.

We’re proud of the amount of traction and support our bills have received this early in the session, and the way our community has mobilized to take action for our state’s animals! We’re grateful to have your partnership in this honorable work, and will keep you updated as we continue to fight for animal protection legislation in New Mexico.

We hope to thank you in-person and celebrate together

at Animal Lobby Day on February 22nd!
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Water, Wildlands, Wildlife Day at the Roundhouse

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  • Wednesday, February 8, 2017

    to

  • Rotunda at the Roundhouse

    411 State Capitol, Santa Fe, NM (map)

  • This is a chance for the environmental community to demonstrate broad-based support to elected officials and the public for protecting our climate, clean air, clean water, and conservation of wildlife and public lands in New Mexico. We’ll have Lobby Training for people at 10:30am and 2pm. Meet at the podium in the Roundhouse. Participating groups: Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, Defenders of Wildlife, Animal Protection Voters of NM, Audubon NM, Project Coyote, Wildlife Conservation Advocacy Southwest, Southwest Environmental Center, Sierra Club Northern Group, Trapfree NM, Rio Grande Restoration, Conservation Voters New Mexico, Amigos Bravos, Friends of Bosque del Apache NWR, Center for Biological Diversity, Environment NM, Gila Conservation Coalition, Gila River Information Project, Lobos of the Southwest, Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, The Santa Fe Raptor Center, The Wilderness Society, and Wild Earth Guardians

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Lobby Day! Let your voice be heard!!!

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Animal Protection Lobby Day 2017

Wed, Feb 22, 2017
9:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Thank you for caring about New Mexico’s animals and showing up to help us change laws that change their lives!

Passing stronger laws for animals takes ongoing dedication, planning, persistence, and plenty of voices from constituents like YOU! Join us for Animal Protection Lobby Day, and help make humane the new normal in 2017.

Our 2017 legislative priorities include banning traps and poisons on public lands and ending wildlife killing contests. We will continue to be vigilant in fighting against bills that are bad for animals, and supporting other pro-animal legislation.

This is a free event! Lunch and Refreshments provided!
Wednesday, February 22, 2017

9:00 AM- Registration & Refreshments (PERA Building)

10:00 AM- Citizen Lobbyist Training (PERA Building, Apodaca Hall)

11:30 AM- Lunch and Breakouts / Letter Writing Campaign (PERA Building)

1:00 PM- Group Photo on steps of PERA Building

1:30 PM- Deliver Letters to Your Legislators (Roundhouse)

2:30 PM- Press Conference / Guest Speakers (Roundhouse / Rotunda)

4:00 PM- Reception at APNM Santa Fe Office, 1111 Paseo de Peralta

Help us cover the cost of lunch for you or a community member. Suggested donation $15.00

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Howling Mad! Let your voice be heard

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We’re Howling Mad!
 
Protest at the Santa Fe Capitol
Wednesday, Feb 8th, 1pm
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
 
Check our Facebook event page for updates and carpool information
Join us at the Roundhouse to tell Governor Martinez: “We’re Howling Mad!” With just six breeding pairs at last count and inbreeding that is causing wolf moms to have fewer pups, New Mexico’s and Arizona’s endangered Mexican gray wolves need genetically-diverse wolves to be released from captivity before it’s too late.
But Governor Martinez has cynically blocked releases. Will our children be able to know the lobo in the wild, or will it be driven to extinction?
We need your support to tell Governor Martinez to listen to the scientists and allow more Mexican Wolves in New Mexico.
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FIRST PRAIRIE DOG OF 2017 SIGHTED

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An advocate called this morning (1/28) and reported seeing the first prairie dog emerge from hibernation at the NW Corner of Tramway and Lomas (Prairie Hills). This is a bit disturbing as the temperature this morning was 20F possibly warming to 40F later in the day. It is just TOO early. However, we do know that our gunnies can wake up for a snack and then go back into torpor if the weather is cold. We HOPE that’s the case, otherwise it will be a long spring season for our rescue crew. If any of our caregivers are of the mind to visit the lot, could you perhaps drop some carrots or grain down a few of the burrows? Also if you check the areas where you provide supplemental food for PD activity it would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

PS:  The prairie dog pictured  is a black tailed prairie dog in Colorado.

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Hundreds of buffalo are under quarantine after an illegal poison was used to kill prairie dogs

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Hundreds of buffalo are under quarantine in North Dakota and South Dakota after an illegal poison was used to kill prairie dogs.

An Environmental Protection Agency investigation earlier found 40,000 pounds of Rozol poison had been distributed across 5,400 acres on the former Cannonball Ranch near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and the Wilder Ranch which straddles both states to the south.

Read More:  Poison

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Larimer County works with advocates on possible prairie dog relocation

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As Larimer County officials work to start construction on the new county building at First Street and Denver Avenue in Loveland, some residents are advocating that the prairie dogs on site be relocated first.

For months, the Larimer County commissioners and the Loveland City Council members have been receiving emails from prairie dog advocates asking that the animals on site be located to another area, rather than poisoned and killed.

While prairie dogs are not considered a protected species, advocates argued that relocation provides many benefits.

Read More: Relocation

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Dog Infects Humans With Plague for First Time in US

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Health officials told ABC News that this the first report of a dog infecting a human with the plague in the U.S.

The dog, a 2-year-old American pit bull terrier, became sick last summer with a fever and jaw rigidity, among other symptoms. The dog’s health declined so quickly that it was euthanized the following day at a local vet’s office, health officials said.

Read more:  Dogs

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Animal Protection Lobby Day 2017

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Passing stronger laws for animals takes ongoing dedication, planning, persistence, and plenty of voices from constituents like YOU! Join us for Animal Protection Lobby Day, and help make humane the new normal in 2017.

Our 2017 legislative priorities include banning traps and poisons on public lands and ending wildlife killing contests. We will continue to be vigilant in fighting against bills that are bad for animals, and supporting other pro-animal legislation.

This is a free event! Lunch and Refreshments provided!
Wednesday, February 22, 2017

9:00 AM- Registration & Refreshments (PERA Building)

10:00 AM- Citizen Lobbyist Training (PERA Building, Apodaca Hall)

11:30 AM- Lunch and Breakouts / Letter Writing Campaign (PERA Building)

1:00 PM- Group Photo on steps of PERA Building

1:30 PM- Deliver Letters to Your Legislators (Roundhouse)

2:30 PM- Press Conference / Guest Speakers (Roundhouse / Rotunda)

4:00 PM- Reception at APNM Santa Fe Office, 1111 Paseo de Peralta

Help us cover the cost of lunch for you or a community member. Suggested donation $15.00

Read more at:  Lobby Day

Event Location

PERA Building
 1120 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
 Directions

We will begin our day at the P.E.R.A building, then make our way to the Roundhouse, finishing with a reception at the APV Santa Fe office.

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A National Park for the Father of Parks

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The U.S. National Park Service has been celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016.

Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th president, established the National Park Service in 1916 to “protect the wild and wonderful landscapes” in the United States.

But it is an earlier leader who is considered the father of the America’s national parks. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt, America’s 26th president, signed the American Antiquities Act. The law permitted him – and future presidents – to take immediate action to protect important cultural or natural resources.

This is an extremely timely article as B. Obama just designated two areas in Utah as parks and there are those in the government that would seek to reverse this decision.  In fact some would like to PRIVATIZE our public lands!  In the words of Mark Twain: Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.  And perhaps he wouldn’t mind if I changed that to PROTECT our lands, they’re not making anymore.

Anyway it is a very nice article with great pictures including, of course, prairie dogs.  So check out the article at:  PARKS

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Prairie dogs are a nuisance for most farmers and ranchers

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This article is obviously biased against prairie dogs, but does provide an insight into the mindset of farmers and ranchers.  There are numerous studies documenting that prairie dogs do not compete with cattle for forage as there are numerous studies documenting the opposite.  It is just a matter of who performed the study.  I think the answer to this is that prairie dogs become an issue for farmers and ranchers AFTER farmers and ranchers have turned PRAIRIE into farms and ranches.  Read the article at:Farms and Ranches

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Prairie Dog Coalition Honors Con Slobodchikoff, Ph. D.

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The Prairie Dog Coalition, a program of The Humane Society of the United States, will honor those who have helped protect prairie dogs at the 9th annual “Living on Burrowed Time IX” gala on Oct. 26. This year’s event will celebrate and honor special guest Con Slobodchikoff, Ph. D. as Prairie Dog Protector of the Year.ConPortrait-1-3-06W1

Slobodchikoff, Ph. D., professor emeritus at Northern Arizona University, director of the Animal Language Institute, and president and CEO of Animal Communications, Ltd. Slobodchikoff is a world-renowned animal behaviorist who has been studying prairie dog communication for more than 30 years. Last year, he was featured on BBC and NPR for his research on animal communication and published Chasing Dr. Doolittle: Learning the Language of Animals.

Read more at:   PDC honors C. Slobodchikoff

 

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Don’t Be Fooled

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The following was provided by an individual concerning her experience with a so-called humane method of dealing with prairie dogs.  Although she gave us permission to use her name and location Prairie Dog Pals felt it best just to convey the information.

I would like to share my experience with the subject of humane prairie dog control.   *Last fall*, I took a half day seminar with the XXXXXX County to learn how to properly use and then obtain a substance called Fumitoxin Aluminm Phosphide Pesticide.  Several of these small pellets are placed deep inside a prairie dog’s hole, then sealed off with stuffed newspaper.   Upon absorbing the moist conditions of the earth, the pellet dissolves into a gas and the prairie dog goes to sleep…… permanently.

I was in a class with generally like-minded people who really didn’t

want to kill prairie dogs, but were at wits end with an over populated situation.   My inner voice told me this was wrong, and I went against that and my obviously weak convictions.  I received certification and used the material on a small field.

This Spring, there are prairie dogs around my house/yard, lethargic, spasmatic, confused, vulnerable, and sadly dying slowly.   You can walk right up to them and they don’t know where to go…. if anything they walk into a strange place and sit there.  They are a picnic for my hunter pets.  My cats are sick and spend most of the time sleeping.  My dogs are also carrying carcasses around, but don’t yet seem to be sick.

I intend to bring this information to the County.  Will advise if learn any more from them.  But my belief is that they should not be supporting this to the public as a “humane method of control.”

This is not our first experience with this compound. In 2004 the City suspended poisoning when it realized that it was a cruel way to dispose of the prairie dogs. It also represented a threat to companion animals and other wild animals that might feed on the dead prairie dogs, and might pose a risk to humans as well.  Dick Fagerlund, the Bugman, had this to say to a property owner who chose to dispose of his prairie dogs using this ghastly method.

As for the method used to kill the prairie dogs, the pest control company used the most hideous product available.  When Fumitoxin is used to kill animals, the results are extremely cruel.  The active ingredient in Fumitoxin is aluminum phosphide, a deadly gas that releases phosphine gas into the burrows when it is exposed to air.  Phosphine gas burns the skin and eyes of the prairie dogs as well as the mucous lining of their mouths as they scream and their lungs as they attempt to breathe.  They are literally on “fire” internally and externally as they slowly die in excruciating pain.  The mothers in the burrows try to save their babies but cannot escape the gas that is destroying them slowly but surely.  These animals do not just go to sleep when the gas is introduced into their burrows.  They literally burn in hell until God mercifully takes their little souls.

I realize that you were probably unaware of the mode of action of the gas used to kill the prairie dogs, but Jesus knew very well how it works.  All I can say is that when the company decided to use the Fumitoxin on God’s little creatures, Jesus wept.

I hope the church reconsiders how they deal with perceived pest animals in the future.

And finally, in response to the continued poisoning at Kirtland, Yvonne Boudreaux, president of Prairie Dog Pals, had this to add:

I’m not sure where this thread started, but I just have to weigh in. How can “anyone” CONDONE killing these intelligent creatures?? with or without “the facts”, as if MORE disinformation makes poisoning palatable, reasonable??? Nothing, no one deserves to die by Fumitoxin! (aluminum phosphide) The known facts of this cheap poison is that it takes them several days to die, bleeding out from all their orifices,  IF it is done “right”…. However, the truth is much worse… I rescued a juvenile female 2 years ago, three weeks after a documented poisoning. She was blind and emaciated, but I took her back to a treatment cage for further care with some hope. Unfortunately, she was found dead the next morning with maggots eating their way out of her lungs. THEY DO NOT “GO TO SLEEP”! Ardeth’s only error is that they have poisoned multiple colonies… many, many times… over DECADES!

 

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Poisoning

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Poisoning is a cruel way to dispose of unwanted animals. It usually is a protracted death during which the animal dies in agony. The “poison of choice” for prairie dogs is aluminum phosphide pellets. The pellets are placed in the burrows which are then stuffed with newspaper. The pellets react with the moisture in the ground and produces phosphine gas. The gas attacks every part of the prairie dog and they bleed internally and externally, dying painfully over a several day period.

 

 

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Fish Oil Emulsion May Make Gophers Move Out

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By Richard Fagerlund for the Albuquerque Journal

Q: We have small children and a cat, but we also have a gopher problem in our backyard. They’ve been digging up the new lawn we had put in. Is there a safe way to get rid of them? C.M., Corrales

A: Pocket gophers construct burrows under the ground using their strong forelegs,  enlarged claws and even their teeth. Their vision is poor because of their  habitat. Their hearing is poor, too. When the gopher digs, it kicks the dirt  behind it with its hind feet. When a lot of loose dirt has accumulated, it turns  around and pushes the dirt to the surface using its forepaws and face. The  resulting mounds are an indication of their presence in your yard.
        Gophers feed on the underground portions of plants, but will  occasionally come to the surface and pull green vegetation underground. They  live alone in their tunnel system, but males will enter female tunnels during  mating season, usually early in the year. Female gophers will have one to seven  young at a time. The baby gophers will disperse on the ground when they are  mature enough to leave their mother and often fall victim to predators at this  time. They usually have only one litter per year.
       Actually they  are very beneficial animals. A single gopher can move about a ton of soil to the  surface every year. Their tunnels are constructed and then fill up with dirt as  they are abandoned. The old tunnels contain the nests, waste material and  partially filled pantries well below the surface where they become important as  fertilizer.
        Soil that has been compacted by cattle trampling, grazing and machinery is  benefited by the tunneling process of gophers. In the mountains, snow and  rainfall are temporarily held in gopher burrows instead of running across the  surface, causing soil erosion. The mounds the gophers make also bury vegetation  deeper, thus increasing soil quality over time. Additionally, fresh soil in the  mounds provides a fresh seeding area for new plants, which may increase the  variety of plants on a site. Gophers are also in the food chain and are fed upon  by large birds, other mammals and snakes. Other animals such as lizards and  toads take refuge in the cool, moist burrows.
       As much as I  am trying to make the case that gophers have a place in our area, there are  times when we have to control them. Poisons are available, but I never recommend  them. Most of the gopher baits contain strychnine, diphacinone, chlorophacinone  or zinc phosphide. None of these rodenticides are very pleasant and accidents  can result with other animals digging them up.
       There are  traps available that can be placed in the burrows, but they are not easy to use  and have only limited success. I have found that the best method of gopher  control is simply asking them to move. You can do this by pouring a foul  smelling liquid into their tunnel system. Fish oil emulsion works and I have  been told that castor oil is also effective. Since gophers generally live alone,  once they move, they are not likely to return unless they are forced to move  again, so a repellent can be very effective.
        When using a repellent, you will have to probe the dirt to  find their tunnels. Generally a tunnel will run straight between two mounds and  they are normally about 18 inches below the surface. You can use a metal rod or  even a pool cue to probe the dirt. Once you hit the tunnel, the probe will fall  through. Then take a long-stem funnel such as used to put oil in cars and place  it in the hole created by the probe. Pour the repellent into the funnel and move  on to the next tunnel.
        Q: Since the administrator of the Environmental Protection  Agency just announced that the agency would be controlling greenhouse gases,  will this have an effect on the usage of sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) in  fumigations? — D.L. Albuquerque
        A: Absolutely. Researchers calculated that one kilogram of  sulfuryl fluoride emitted into the atmosphere has a global warming potential  approximately 4,800 times greater than one kilogram of carbon dioxide. That is  pretty impressive.
        Go to http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=965 for information. The chemical’s annual use in California creates emissions  equivalent to the carbon dioxide produced by 1 million cars and California  accounts for 60 percent of the sulfuryl fluoride used in the world.
        We don’t use anywhere near that amount in New Mexico, but it  is registered for use here and has been used occasionally when drywood termites  are found in a home. I believe with a record like this, sulfuryl fluoride won’t  be around much longer.
         Contact him: Richard “Bugman” Fagerlund, an entomologist, owns and  operates “Ask the Bugman” Common Sense Pest Management. He can be reached by  phone at 385-2820 or by e-mail at richardfagerlund@yahoo.com.  His Web site is www.askthebugman.com.

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Pocket Gophers

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gopherWe’ve gotten a lot of calls about “prairie dogs” that are actually gophers. Know your signs!

Their mounds look like this. The fresh dirt is a dead give away. Notice that there is no discernable opening. When the burrows collapse you might see  a 1-2″ hole. These are not prairie dogs.

moundsIf you want to read more about pocket gophers, and how to handle them when they are in your yard, please read our Pocket Gopher Protocol.

I found a recent article about pocket gophers which contains some excellent pictures, one showing the “pockets.” To read the article click here.

 

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Ground Squirrels

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squirrelSquirrels are frequently confused with prairie dogs. This is a spotted ground squirrel, a native of this region. This is a older mom and you can see she has spots, a longer tail, and recently given birth to a litter. The younger ones are not so easy to differentiate due to the close cropped ears and lack of spots.

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Rock Squirrels

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250px-Spermophilus_variegatusRock Squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus) are frequently mistaken for prairie dogs as well. Generally a good look at the bushy tail or ears will suffice to identify the squirrel. The burrows, however, are a bit more IMG_1328difficult to differentiate as given the opportunity the squirrels frequently use prairie dog burrows. The burrows for rock squirrels tend to be shallow (3-5 feet) and consist of the burrow and living chamber. Following are some pictures of the burrows and a rock squirrel. Rock squirrels are active during the winter, although they can “sleep” for extended periods during cold or inclement weather.

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Habitat Improvement

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Picture 348Many areas where prairie dogs live need habitat improvement as the natural vegetation has been disturbed or destroyed. Prairie dogs need grasses and weeds to eat. Cactus is a drought source of food and moisture for them. Where areas have been made barren due to plowing and bulldozing, cactus from other areas can be transplanted. It is one of the few plants that will survive transplanting without water. FYI, It is illegal to take cacti from wild areas.

Regenerating native grasses and vegetation takes years, especially with little rainfall and no supplemental water supply. Once an area is disturbed or over populated it is very difficult to restore the grasses because the prairie dogs will eat any new growth.

How To Transplant Cacti

Prickly pear and broadleaf can be planted by placing them in shallow troughs. The supplies you will need are tongs, clippers, gloves and containers to hold the pads – plastic bags are not advisable because the needles can poke through the plastic. A hedge clipper is the best tool for cutting the pads and tongs are best for picking them up. The cacti can be cut into medium sized sections of 3 to 6 pads. There is no need to dig up the roots. The needles come off easily, even in a strong wind, so take care in handling the pads. They can be kept in a shady area for a day until ready for transplanting.

Prickly-Pear-8-2008-001-2Transplant 3 to 6 pads so that the cut edge of at least one pad can be buried in a shallow trough. Cacti are hardy – a pad can fall off a plant and laying flat on the ground will put out roots and start a new plant.

The prairie dogs may eat the cactus you are planting if they do not have enough food. Try to provide enough food, carrots, greens, alfalfa pellets, fresh cut grass clippings, etc. so that they will not eat the cacti.

Compatible Landscape Design Surrounding Prairie Dog Colonies

Do not plant lawn grasses near by as they will be drawn to it. If an area already has lawn grasses you can let it grow naturally, reduce the watering and add decorative rocks, forbs, native grasses and pines and you will have a xeriscape compatible with prairie dogs. If you have trees that are enticing to prairie dogs, you might want to consider getting rid of them by taking the help of certain Tree Removal services. It can be hard to part with a tree you’ve cared for and grown for many years, but it is an inevitable part of landscaping. And on the upside, a new tree can take their place. For example, pine trees can be planted because the prairie dogs will not normally eat them unless they have no other food. Well, a landscaping project might require lot of experience and manpower so trying to accomplish it singlehandedly could be futile. You can however contact landscaping firms (like Milestone Dubai – Landscaping, Pools, Interiors, or the ones like them in the vicinity) and let them know about your requirements which could help them renovate the area according to you.

Habitat improvement is a hard but satisfying work. It should be done in areas where the prairie dogs will be allowed to stay. In Albuquerque we currently have several areas on parkland where prairie dogs can live in their family groups with the support and assistance of caring people.

See this article to find out about native prairie forbs and this one about native grasses which you can use for landscaping!

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Burrowing Owls

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owlYes, there are burrowing owls living with the prairie dogs in Albuquerque.

The owls nest in underground burrows, hence their name. They use burrows created by other burrowing animals such as ground squirrels or prairie dogs. If burrows are unavailable and the soil is not hard or rocky, the owls may excavate their own. Burrowing owls will also nest in underground man-made structures that have easy access to the surface.   They take over prairie dog burrows and live as neighbors.

The owls will eat baby or dead prairie dogs but they generally eat mice, insects, fruits and seeds. Unlike other owls they are general out during the day hunting at dawn and dusk.

The owls make a wide range of sounds including the who who call, clucks, chattering, and screams.   Perhaps most interesting is when alarmed they frequently make a hissing call that sounds like a rattlesnake.

Burrowing owls are year-round residents in some areas and migrate south during the winter months, in others.    They usually   return to the same areas, often to the same burrow. Urban development is steadily reducing their habitat and often when they return from migration they find their ancestral homes gone.

These small owls prefer undisturbed areas. Too much activity prevents successful hunting and they will move to a more remote area if disturbed.   Their nesting season begins in the early spring. The female will lay around 8-12 eggs over a two-week period. The eggs hatch in about three weeks and the chicks are able to make short flights after four weeks.   The parents will continue to feed the chicks for up to three months after hatching.   Usually only about half of the chicks survive.

They are a federally protected migratory bird with fines up to $10,000 for intentionally destroying them. Developers must not disturb them or must make provisions to relocate them if they are present in planned work areas.   Unfortunately their nests are frequently overlooked or ignored.   The males may fly away when danger threatens, but the females and young will hide in the burrows.   They will be destroyed if the equipment operator is not aware of their presence and plows them under. Any field with prairie dogs or other burrowing animals should be carefully checked before the start of construction. The burrows containing owls frequently have a “white-wash” of waste at the entrance to the burrow, while the prairie dog burrows will have their scat nearby.    Provisions should be made to relocate any resident prairie dogs or owls. If you see owls that might be in danger, please call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department at 505-248-6282

Even though they are a protected species, they are in serious trouble because of habitat loss and control methods for prairie dogs.   When the prairie dogs are poisoned, the owls also die. Most of Albuquerque’s owls are gone.   The owls tend to seek other nesting areas because the parklands and easement areas in Albuquerque are too busy and noisy. The few open fields left are often slated for development and are denuded of forage and vegetation by clean up crews leaving little or nothing that is edible for the prairie dogs and owls.

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Pocket Gopher Protocols

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Prairie Dog Pals receives frequent calls about mysterious animals burrowing in people’s yards. Typically, residents are alerted to the presence of these animals by fresh mounds of dirt. There are no apparent burrows and the responsible animal is infrequently seen. While prairie dogs can be dispersed by construction, disturbance, or by territorial issues, in most cases the burrowing animal is a pocket gopher. To help homeowners cope with these uninvited guests we have prepared this overview of pocket gophers, their habits and some suggested interventions.

What are pocket gophers?

gopher

A pocket gopher

Pocket gophers of New Mexico and much of the west are not to be confused with animals of trans-planted New Mexicans former homes, like gopher tortoises of southeastern U.S., gopher snakes of the Midwest and West, or “gophers,” another common name for some species of ground squirrels (with stripes or spots on back). True pocket gophers are actually rodents distantly related to pocket mice and kangaroo rats but are even more adapted for digging. They do share with the night-active pocket mice and kangaroo rats the fur-lined cheek pouches for temporary transport of their food. Unlike moles that occur in areas such as the eastern U.S. and the Pacific northwest that are wetter, most pocket gophers occur in drier soils of grasslands and deserts. Moles are insectivores and have peg-like teeth for breaking up insects, earthworms, and other invertebrates, while pocket gophers eat plant material.

There are seven different species of pocket gophers in New Mexico and more than 35 are found in the Americas from Canada to Costa Rica. Only one species occurs east of the Mississippi River. They vary from 5 to 7 inches inches long and weigh from 6 to 8 ounces. They have two pairs of incisor teeth to cut roots and shoots and complex molars to grind the plants up. They have paddle shaped front feet for digging through the soil and a small sensitive tail that allows them to back up in their dark burrows.

What do pocket gophers do?

mounds

Gopher mounds

Pocket gophers dig and often leave mounds of soil heaped over the plug of their exit/entrance hole. Prairie dogs do not make mounds but do dig holes that enter to their underground burrow. Sometimes there are volcano-like craters around a prairie dog hole. If you can see an open hole in the ground then it is not a pocket gopher. Pocket gophers hide their hole by plugging them when not in use. Pocket gophers spend about 99% of the time below ground level in search of fleshy plant roots, bulbs, and shoots.

Should I worry about pocket gophers digging?

If they were in your lawn, I would say no. The plants they target are broad-leaved plants and your grasses are narrow leaved plants with unappealing narrow roots. The fussy lawn keeper regards the broad-leaved plants as weeds. So the pocket gophers are helping the average gardener and lawn keeper weed their property! Cool, huh? And they do it for free!

What else do they do?

These little guys (and gals too) spend their time wandering through their maze of underground tunnels and digging new ones. Their digging action brings deep soil rich in minerals to the surface, thereby mixing it. Their droppings fertilize the soil adding nitrogen and organic matter. Their tunnels allow for the mixing of oxygen and carbon dioxide to allow your plant roots to breathe. They are doing this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year…for free! They are in fact master gardeners!

What if I don’t like those stupid mounds?

Take the backside of a rake and stroke it across the gopher mound until smooth. Repeat when you see other mounds. They only make the mounds when they are digging new tunnels. Although they don’t hibernate, their moundbuilding peaks in the spring when the soil gets warmer and after rains during and after the monsoon season of late summer.

What if they are in my flowerbed or garden?

Providing that your gopher-free zone is small and your prize flowers very valuable, you may want to circle your entire area with hardware cloth. The openings in the wire must be smaller than inch so they can’t penetrate. Early in the spring I would dig up the bed and lay the hardware cloth folding it in the corners and let it extend above ground level by about 6 inches so that the gophers can’t just crawl over the top. This whole process is a lot of labor.

What about pouring different liquids into the soil?

Liquids are a real mixed bag and can be classed as poisonous and nonpoisonous ones. If they are poisonous to a pocket gopher, then they could be poisonous to our dogs or people. This is true especially around vegetable gardens. Prairie Dog Pals does not recommend their use.

Non-poisonous, non-toxic liquids are advertised to “get rid” of gophers as well. No one backs the idea that they actually work, except the folks that sell them. Some of these products may have some merit but are untested in a scientific experiment. They include: fish emulsion, Castor bean oil, cat urine, capsicum or pepper oil, garlic extract, etc. Pine oil shows some promise. There is even one interesting mixture that has been proposed by Jan Hays of Sandia Mountain Bear Watch in her booklet A Guide for Wildlife Stewards:

Mix 4 tablespoons each of liquid dish soap, urine, and castor oil with cup of warm water. Add this mixture to 2 gallons of warm water and apply.

*Please see disclaimer at the bottom.

Can I trap them?

Many kinds of pocket gophers are common, but some are rare and protected. First, check with your state wildlife and city humane departments. If it is legal in your area, the live trap Prairie Dog Pals recommends is the Baker-Williams live pocket gopher trap for residential situations. It takes a fair amount of determination to successfully trap them, but here are the basics. Prior to trapping you must select and prepare a nearby site for release. Find exit/entrance hole by brushing aside dirt of mound with hands. Look for a darker circle. This will be the plugged hole. With iron rebar, carefully probe around for a connecting runway. The rebar probe will sink easily when it hits the air pocket of the runway. Dig down until you can see a runway. Set either one trap (or two traps if the runway goes in both directions) with open end into runway at a gentle slope. Check each hour to keep animal alive and healthy. A carrot can be inserted into end of trap to keep the little guy/gal happy while you prepare for the relocation. Prepare a release tunnel with an auger or long spade by digging down about 2-3 feet. Insert pocket gopher by placing the open end of the trap into the hole. After the animal is in its new home, cover the hole with excess soil. There are other options for golf greens and other similar type lands.

What other ideas are there for non-toxic control?

Here are a few control ideas that may show promise. Plant plants that gophers don’t like. Install vibration devices. Plant plants only in plastic or tile pots. Encourage and allow gopher predators to frequent the area. For instance, you might want to construct owl boxes or create raptor perches to encourage those animals to stay in your yard. Enclose the yard for free range of your pet dog or cat in the back yard. Also, remember to keep your lawn clean of rubbish. Gophers could use the gaps and crevices in the trash to make their festering grounds. Consider hiring a service that provides Household rubbish removals if you have unnecessary trash in your backyard. Keeping the area clean will also let you immediately know if there is a gopher intrusion.

What if I still can’t stand pocket gophers?

I would suggest you get a copy of the classic movie “Caddie Shack” with comic Bill Murray on a fictitious madcap quest to catch a mythical “gopher.” Watch the tube, pop open a cold drink, chill, and have a good laugh.

If you still want us to 1) live-trap your pocket gophers or 2) use other nontoxic methods on a trial basis, then contact us. Our going rate is $35 per hour for our live-capture and deterrent application services. Spring is a good time. However, during the summer we are heavily involved with prairie dog relocation.

*For the reasons mentioned above Prairie Dog Pals does not recommend liquids or poisons of any kind to solve pocket gopher problems. Keep these liquids out of reach of unwary humans, children, pets and wildlife.

by Paul Polechla Jr., Ph.D.

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Badger Prospectus

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The North American Badger at West Mesa; Grasslands Preserve, City of Albuquerque Open Space, Bernalillo County, New Mexico 

Introduction–Natural History of the Badger

In order to fully understand the current situation with the Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) and its predator, the badger (Taxidea taxus) at the Prairie Dog Primary Habitat at Grasslands Preserve, the largest City of Albuquerque Open Space, Bernalillo County, NM, one first must be informed about the natural and life history of the badger in general.

Reproduction

Badgers are promiscuous and have delayed implantation.  The implantation of the early embryo (called the blastocyst) occurs in February and development proceeds until pups are born.  Badger pups are born late March or early April in other latitudes.  Litter size ranges from 1 to 5 with the most often number at 2 or 3 pups.  Males that are 14 months have mature sperm already.  Males are in their breeding season during the May to August period. Of the female yearlings, 38% do not release eggs from their ovaries (ovulate).  About 52-72% of the females gave birth or were pregnant in Idaho.

Behavior

Adult badgers are night active (that is nocturnal) while young of the year are active at dawn and dusk (that is crepuscular).  Badgers do not hibernate although they do undergo a mild torpor.  Badgers are solitary except during the breeding season where the sexes get together and pup-rearing season when the mother is with pups.

Density

On average there is one badger per 2.6 square kilometers in NW Utah while there are 2 badgers every square kilometers in northwestern Wyoming.

Home Range

For badgers one year old and older males have a home range of 5.8 square kilometers while females have a home range of 2.4 in northwestern Utah.  In southwestern Idaho, animals older than one year old, the males had a home range of 1.4 square kilometer.  Home ranges of all sex and age classes may overlap.  Adult males overlap the home ranges of a number of smaller female home ranges.

Territoriality

There is a tendency for females to be territorial or guard their home ranges.  Territorial systems are favored whereby human exploitation by trapping is minimal.

Food Habits

Prey of badgers includes rodents and rabbits/hares (that is lagomorphs) and occasionally birds, reptiles, and insects.  Prey abundance in their diet varies according to prey availability, season-to-season, and year-to-year.  Badgers have a very sturdy or robust pectoral girdle (upper body) with powerful pectoral muscles and well-developed claws for digging.  Rodents which they prey upon include:  the mountain pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides), yellow-nosed pocket gopher (Pappogeomys castanops), kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.), pocket mice (Perognathus spp.), ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp. and Ammospermophilus spp.), northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster), southern plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus), house mice (Mus musculus), and deer mice (Peromyscus sp.).   Lagomorphs eaten include black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii).   Badgers will frequent old badger dens and catch and eat cottontails and ground squirrels usurping them.  Badgers will hunt ground squirrels by plugging all entrances but one, and then they will excavate it.  Another strategy is to hide in their underground burrows and ambush ground squirrels.  Yet another strategy is to dig open ground squirrel burrows and kill the entire family.

Predators

Badger predators include coyotes (Canis latrans), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), mountain lions (Puma concolor), and rarely other badgers.  Humans kill badgers by accidentally striking them with vehicles, shooting them, poisoning them (sodium fluoroacetate), and trapping them.

Denning Behavior

The den is the center of daytime that is diurnal) inactivity, food storage, and birth.  Dens have an elliptical entrance with a single burrow with the excavated earth piled into a mound of soil at the entrance. On average they dig 1.6 dens/ha.  They generally dig new dens each day but occasionally reuse dens for more than one den.  Usually for resting dens, badgers will deposit their droppings (that is scats) at the den entrance and in the burrow.  Dens in which the female badger rears her young (that is natal dens) lack scat at the entrance.  Females with pups may switch dens according to prey availability.

Diseases

Badgers may transmit plague among rodent colonies.  They have transient infections exhibiting an antibody response.  In one study 72-86% of the animals sampled were seropositive. They can contract canine distemper virus.

Situation at Grasslands Preserve:  Course of Events*

  • “In the spring of 2006, a total of 13 badger diggings into prairie dog burrows were observed.”…the diggings were concentrated in the south release area  in 2006…” (Polechla 2007).
  • PJP and EU sees badger sign summer 2007 “In the spring of 2007 (18 and 29 April and 12 May) I observed only 4 badger diggings and noting two (one distinct and one indistinct) badger tracks and collected a badger scat. The diggings were concentrated in the…northern areas in 2007.   Although in the long term badgers contribute to the faunal      diversity they also keep populations in control, they are undesirable when trying to establish [prairie dog] populations.  If badger activity persists at 2006  levels then live trapping and relocation of badgers may be necessary  (Polechla 2007).”
  • PJP collects dead prairie dog summer 2007, test negative for plague (Me. F, personal communication).
  • PE sees dead road-kill badger on Shooting Range Road summer 2007 (PE to PJP personal communication).
  • Delay on contract for fall 2007 and Spring 2008 reports due to miscommunication.
  • Spring 2007 -late winter 2007-2008, No badger tracks on N-S and E-W road prompts PJP to do 6 April 2008 a perimeter/middle check of 2007 colony on the north tract of Prairie Dog Primary Habitat .
  • 6 April 2008 PJP does 25% of artificial and natural prairie dog burrows excavated by badgers (feeding excavations) and photographs damage, sees tracks and fresh claw digging marks, and elliptical and dome shaped day dens (see Table 1), pull out tubes, no damage to nest box, little fresh prairie dog scat, appears to be bad.  Notifies PDP, recommends badger work be done to protect prairie dogs investment of time, labor, and money.  Walking survey shows about 3 Gunnison’s prairie dog above ground. A total of 8 badger scats found at entrance to diggings and associated with tracks…collected.
  • 30 May 2008 EU and PE dust and count prairie dog burrows and re-photograph damage and use burrow camera to search for prairie dogs in excavated prairie dog nest box complexes, determines that out of all but “about 100” were free of prairie dogs.  Reconfirms badger damage.
  • EU & YB call meeting with PJP and PE, discuss  badger situation.
  • 11 June 2008 PJP resurveys north tract and finds no  new badger sign only old (prior to 6 April 2008).
  • 13 June 2008 PJP recommends meeting with City of Albuquerque to discuss badger situation.

Badgers and Prairie Dogs @ Other Sites*

  • 21 February 2008. Susan K. Lentz collects badger specimen (PJP 3353) from San Juan County, NM in vicinity of Gunnison’s  prairie dog colony.
  • Summer 2007. DW visits Zia Pueblo from B.L.M. side of fence and sees badger damage and shot gun shells in prairie dog colony.
  • 25-26 March 2006. PJP spotlight badger in Gunnison’s prairie dog colony in Aubrey Valley, Arizona.
  • Winter 2005-2006 (after major prairie dog relocation from Santa Fe to Sevilleta NWR by PM, MiF, PJP, EU, YB, and others). PJP teaches MiF badger trapping techniques since badgers at Sevilleta NWR were visiting Gunnison’s prairie dog colony.  MiF catches badger and relocates in on other end of refuge on the other side of Rio Grande.
  • 8 November 2005. Zane Dohner collects badger specimen (PJP 3203) San Juan County, NM.
  • 26 September 2005. PJP collects badger specimen (PJP 3168), near where PM relocates Zia Pueblo badger.
  • 24 September 2005. PM relocates Zia Pueblo badger Sandoval County, NM.
  • 1 Sept. 2005.   Mike Fugagli collects badger specimen (PJP 3259) Grant County, NM
  • 20 August 2005.  PJP collects badger specimen (PJP 3141), Sandoval County, NM in vicinity of Gunnison’s prairie dog colony.
  • 28-29 July 2005. At Zia Pueblo, Prairie Ecosystem and Prairie Dog Pals sets up all night vigil, EU sets up badger alarm  system.  Badger escapes in the cover  of late night darkness.  Later PM  trap and relocate to Santa Ana Pueblo, PJP finds road kill in that vicinity.
  • 17 September 2003. Diane Sewell McCash collects badger specimen (PJP 3031), Paradise Hills, Bernalillo County, NM.
  • January 2001. Turner Foundation biologist talks about the Vermejo Ranch, Colfax County, NM.       Badger predation is a major contributor to black-tailed prairie dog relocation (personal communication to PJP, Arizona-New Mexico Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Gallup, NM.)  He recommends live trapping badger and fencing. Shier (2006) describes predation a problem with black –tailed prairie dog relocation.
  • 17 May 1998-30 April 2003.  PJP observes a total of 12 observations of badger tracks, dens, road kills, and diggings in kangaroo rat burrows at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and environs in Plains pocket  gopher (Geomys bursarius), Mexican ground squirrel (Spermophilus      spilosoma) southern plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus) habitat…within about 5 miles of black-tailed prairie dog town.
  • 13 August 1998.  PJP collects badger specimen (PJP 2111), Socorro County, NM.
  • 19 October 1996. PJP collects badger specimen (PJP 1737), Luna County, NM.
  • In late afternoon October 1996, PJP saw a badger near Punta Chueca, Sonora, Mexico in the Sonora desert near Tiburon Island.
  • 2 October 1995.  MiF collects badger specimen (PJP 1665), Socorro County, NM 6 mi. N. Bernardo on I-25 at Mile Marker # 170.
  • 25 September 1994. PJP collects badger specimen (PJP 1624), Valencia County, 14 mi. North  Sevilleta NWR Field Station on I-25.
  • December 1986 K. Head collects badger specimen (PJP 1516), Franklin County, Arkansas.
  • 1977-1980 PJP tracks badgers in sand on track survey Eddy County, NM in Chihuahuan desert w/ plains pocket gopher, spotted ground squirrels (Spermophilus spilosoma), kangaroo rats (Dipodomys   spp.), pocket mice (Perognathus spp.), and northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster).
  • Summer1977. PJP encounters free-ranging badger before dusk near proposed W.I.P.P. site, Eddy County, New Mexico
  • 19 February 1977 to 8 March 1978. PJP with Rodger Payne live-capture badger in coyote set eastern New Mexico.

Assessment:

  • Badgers can inhabit a wide range of habitats, latitudes, and altitudes.
  • Badgers and prairie dogs have co-evolved through geologic time and should be able to coexist if there is large enough prairie dog population to be able to withstand an annual predation by      badgers and other predators (coyotes, ferruginous hawks, etc.) and other  mortality factors.
  • Badgers have a large home range and are solitaryunless breeding or with a mother and pups.
  • Badgers are facultative rather than obligate predators of prairie dogs. As such they will feed on prairie dogs available and switch to other prey such as ground squirrels and kangaroo rats when prairie dogs are not available.  Badgers will continue to return and forage at prairie dog colonies until they have literally eaten themselves “out of house and home.”
  • Badgers at West Mesa will prey upon banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabolis) (about 3 of 30 burrow complexes (10%) had badger foraging digs in them) and possible ground squirrels, pocket gophers, other rodents, and lagomorphs.
  • Badgers at West Mesa will occasionally prey upon prairie dogs during the summer, but will dig prairie dogs out of their burrows during hibernation or out families of prairie dogs when they are suckling their young.  Badgers      increase their capture success on prairie dogs when they are most vulnerable…at night, during hibernation, or while nursing their young.
  • Badgers occur throughout Grasslands Preserve (on and off Prairie Dog Primary Habitat), Petroglyphs National Monument, throughout the West Mesa, central New Mexico, and the west bank of the Rio Grande…a vast area.  As such, capturing badgers on the Prairie Dog Primary Habitat will only temporarily create a void that will be quickly filled by neighboring individuals and  populations.  Although, other  biologists have experienced similar situations in other parts of New Mexico, few studies have been performed examining the predator-prey      dynamics between prairie dogs and badgers.
  • Badgers at the north tract were able to dig to prairie dog nest boxes but were not able to chew and claw through.  A single badger family could have caused most of the damage.  Prairie dogs  initially escaped but were preyed upon or dispersed leaving them compromised at best and dead at worst. The result is that the prairie dog population plummeted and badgers sensing little lingering high pockets of concentrated prey, dispersed into      adjacent areas.  Little fresh badger sign indicates low badger population density.  This relationship needs quantifying.
  • Our goal at Grasslands Preserve should be to re-establish Gunnison’s prairie dogs by natural reproduction and      recruitment.
  • Hindsight is always 20/20.  We as a group were “penny-wise and pound-foolish” not to be more pro-active about badgers and protect our  prairie dog relocation investment. Not spending several thousand dollars to protect our six-figure (I predict about 1-2% of annual budget) investment proved to be foolish.
  • At this point, prairie dog relocation will not be effective in establishing viable prairie dog population without      badger relocation program.

Recommendations:

  • Monitor badger populations by walking the perimeter and middle of new north tract of Prairie Dog Primary Habitat especially during hibernation and pup suckling seasons.
  • Assign Paul Polechla to feed prairie dogs once every other week during spring and summer relocation season.  This is a cost-effective way of simultaneously feeding and collecting badger information.
  • PJP should contact NM Game and Fish regarding permitting for badger live-trapping and removal (may have required permit or may need to apply for one).
  • City of Albuquerque and PDP needs to budget for monitoring (during hibernation and prairie dog pup weaning periods), live trapping,  and relocating badgers annually when necessary.  Some costs include:  lures ($5 for 1 oz bottle x 4), traps ($10/day x 3 weeks/year), misc. supplies $50, *infrared camera system for      monitoring $500/each x 2, transportation cost, and wages.
  • Live-trap and relocate badgers when badger damage is 1/16 to 1/8 (that is ¼ to ½ of the damage of 6 April 2008) of the prairie dog nest boxes and natural burrows.
  • Relocation of badgers should continue annually as needed until the prairie dog colony produces a “standing crop” of prairie dogs that offset prairie dog mortality including badger predation, other      predator predation, and other natural mortality.
  • PDP should explore additional sources of funding to study dynamic predator-prey relationship between Gunnison’s prairie dog and its predators on West Mesa. Provisional and ultimately more sophisticated modeling of predator-prey relationship should be done.
  • PJP is ideally qualified to accomplish these recommendations.  He has specialized in carnivores for his Master’s thesis and Ph.D. dissertation and numerous post-doctoral studies including those on prairie dog predators including badgers.

By Paul J. Polechla Jr., Ph.D., Sr. Ecologist

ppolechl@sevilleta.unm.edu

References:

Lindzey, F.G. 1978.  Movement patterns of badgers in northwestern Utah.  Journal of Wildlife Management 42:418-422.

Lindzey, F.G.  2003.  Badger (Taxidea taxus). Pp. 683-691. In Wild mammals of North America.  G.A. Feldhamer et al. (eds.)  Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 1216 pp.

Polechla, P.J.  1977-2008.  Field notes and vertebrate catalogue. Unpaginated. 38 volumes.

Polechla, P.J.  2007.  Gunnison’s prairie dog relocation project on the Grasslands Preserve of the West Mesa, Albuquerque Open Space, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.  Prairie Dog Pals, Albuquerque, NM, 25 pp.

*  Initials of central New Mexico prairie dog biologists, volunteers, and naturalists include:  DW = Dick Westphal, EU =Ed Urbanski, MeF = Megan Friggens, MiF = Michael Friggens, PE = Paul Eilers, PJP = Paul J. Polechla, PM = Paula Martin, and YB= Yvonne Boudreaux.

 

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Find Alternatives to Poison

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We (Lakota) have a concept, a discipline that we articulate as “Woableza,” which is to carefully analyze a given situation, not only the long-term impact, but the bigger picture. We had to do so to survive the natural elements and human co-existence. But it’s a different world now and so the “relatedness” that was an essential element of our cosmology is often dismissed as irrelevant or stupid.

I’d still like to paint my big picture of the prairie dog.

Once upon a time, the human beings that needed to survive on the prairie saw (over a few thousand years) that everything had a purpose and that no one species was autonomous. We are all related. The buffalo, as a sacred (keystone) species, was the most responsible for the proliferation and diversity of other species. The pispiza (prairie dog) was its tightest kin, also bearing responsibility for the well-being of over a hundred other species.

But in the new world according to the anthropocentrics, there were too many Indians, too many buffaloes to support them and far too many seemingly-useless prairie dogs, and they all had to go in holocaustic order.

The natural world changed dramatically. Some ecological damage can repair itself and some damage is so great that it is irreversible.

I’m very confused about the smaller picture. I do know what the American culture is about – individualism and capitalism – and that people have to survive in a very fragmented, unrelated way. In that sense, I can see how prairie dogs can be a problem to beef production.

Even then, I think that prairie dogs are getting a bad rap. I’ve heard it said that they denude the earth and deprive the cows of grass and that cows and horses break their legs in the holes.

For one thing, prairie dogs proliferate where they are safe from predators. There are reasons, according to natural law, that prairie dogs do what they do (and they’re not tuned in to economics). And if humans could tune in to the Natural Law station, perhaps we could come up with wiser solutions than poisoning.

The cry for poisoning, I suspect, was a weak cry by affected few, but the politics of those times needed a handy issue. And so, the worst management plan was shaped by those who pretend to protect wildlife.

The current poisoning is decimating, not only the prairie dogs and interdependent species, but is also threatening the only thriving ferret population on the face of the Earth.

I am not a biologist or an expert of any kind, just a simple Lakota. But using common sense, I’d like to make humble suggestions.

Let’s not buy into this South Dakota prairie dog plan (when considering the bigger picture and the long haul, it’s just too costly). I trust common folks to ask their legislative leadership for honesty and express their concern about this matter. Let’s use our God-given brains to figure out a better alternative.

Appeal to your South Dakota legislators. Please ask them to reject any plan that forces landowners to poison prairie dogs on their own land.

By Rosalie Little Thunder, board chair of Seventh Generation Fund, board member of Predator Conservation Alliance and member of Sicangu Lakota Oyate.

Printed in the Rapid City Journal, South Dakota on 01.14.05.

 

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