Prairie Dog Pals

Dedicated to the Preservation of Prairie Dogs and their Habitat

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.

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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.

Unintentional cruelty: Are prairie dog relocations worth their mortality?

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Spring marks the annual beginning of an increasingly popular non-lethal method of removing 104351404-gunnisons-prairieunwanted prairie dogs: Relocation of entire segments to more suitable and protected habitat.

But the job isn’t for sissies or the faint of heart, because there is a huge amount of work and preparation involved, with a variety of associated challenges, including potentially fatal consequences for a number of prairie dogs—sometimes even if the job is done by experts.

Read More:  Relocation

 

 

 

 

Prairie Dog Daze

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Cute is not a reason to go on living in the grander evolutionary scheme of things, but it must count for 40th-Horiz.wideasomething. People love prairie dogs, even if they are next thing to a rat.

Michael Burns never expected to be walking around the plaza dressed in a big, fuzzy, buff-colored costume on the Saturday after Earth Day, hugging children and carrying a cardboard placard that said “Prairie dog family values.” The 36-year-old self-employed salesman who moved to Santa Fe from Portland, Ore. about four years ago, said he never thought much about prairie dogs until recently. 

Read More:  Daze

Should animal cognition be considered by lawmakers for conservation policies?

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Should animal cognition be considered by lawmakers for conservation policies? Many scientists believe it should.

The Humane Society Institute for Science & Policy is sponsoring a symposium next week in Washington, D.C., entitled “The Science of Animal Thinking and Emotion: Sentience as a Factor in Policy and Practice.”

Excerpt from the website:

Science is making stunning discoveries about animal cognition, awareness and emotion. How can we leverage this information for positive change in government and industry? This two-day conference brings together thought-leaders in the science and implications of animal sentience, and influential voices in the policy and corporate domains. As the bedrock of ethics, sentience deserves a more prominent place in the legislative and corporate landscape.

Read more at:  Cognition

Guardians Will Challenge Denial of Protections for Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs

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Washington, DC – WildEarth Guardians will challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) refusal to protect the Gunnison’s prairie dog under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service recently denied the species protection despite a documented 95 percent decline since the early 1900s and numerous ongoing threats.Gunnisons_prairie_dog_Telluride_Ramona_Gaylord2

“Failure to list the Gunnison’s prairie dog is contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Act,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “The Service is tying itself in knots to avoid listing this keystone species, cherry picking science while ignoring the species’ precipitous decline.”

Read more: WildEarth Guardians

States test a new prairie dog plague vaccine

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Dressed in long pants, long-sleeve shirts and closed-toed shoes, a team of researchers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife 5eb1329b-258e-4e6f-8187-8e76aae44b8dgathered in a sagebrush-grass meadow near Gunnison, Colo. this summer, each with a GPS in hand. Lining up 10 meters apart along the border of a virtual grid, they walked straight lines over a Gunnison’s prairie dog colony and dropped quarter-sized peanut butter cubes behind them. It was one of three Gunnisons colonies where the delectable cubes became just a treat for any animal that found them, but at another three, the cubes contained a vaccine against sylvatic plague, which has ravaged the West’s prairie dog populations.

Read more:  Plague

Prairie dog relocation costs evoke mixed reaction

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On farms and ranches across America, prairie dogs are target practice.

In the city of Santa Fe, the furry little critters get bubble baths, leftover Big Macs and protection under an ordinance requiring their “humane relocation” if they live on property slated for commercial construction.

Even the city government, which has a statue of its patron saint in front of City Hall making eye contact with a prairie dog, is loath to hurt the burrowing rodents.

Since the ordinance passed in 2001, the city has incurred $559,000 in relocation costs, much to the chagrin of one city councilor.

Read more:  Santa Fe

Read more: Abq Journal

State stuck in killing mode

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With apologies to West Side Story….

I love to live in New Mexico
Everything’s shot in New Mexico
Guns are prizes in New Mexico
Nothing is safe in New Mexico
You can describe New Mexico in so many ways: big skies with mind-boggling sunsets, politically diverse, expansive, neighborly, God fearing, home of tourist attractions from national parks to soaring balloons, rough-hewn cowboys pulling up a bar chair next to Santa Fe sophisticates.

I would also call it unimaginative.  622x350

Our gun contests are boring. Let me make it clear up front. While there is a chance, if pressed, I might come down on the side of those who find such contests ill advised, my purpose here is not to argue the point.

Read more at:  Portales News-Tribune

 

 

Prairie Dogs FAQ

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750px-Prairiehondjes1Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents who live on the plains of North and Central America. They were first documented by Lewis and Clark in their 1804 journals from their journey across the United States. Lewis recognized the similarity between prairie dogs and squirrels (both rodents) and called it the barking squirrel.

Prairie dogs belong to the order Rodentia, the family Sciuridae (along with squirrels and chipmunks), and the genus Cynomys (which means “mouse dog”).

Within that genus are a number of species, including the Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), the white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus), the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), the Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus) and the Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens).

Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs live in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Gunnison’s prairie dogs hibernate from November through March. They are yellow-tan in color, slightly paler than other prairie dog species, and have a short white-tipped tail.

In early 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that populations of the Gunnison’s prairie dog located in central and south-central Colorado and north-central New Mexico are warranted for protection under the Endangered Species Act, but they could not be listed as endangered because they were deemed a lower priority than other species.

Today, Gunnison’s prairie dogs have no form of federal protection whatsoever. The only exception to this is a protected colony living in Petrified Forest National Park.

DO PRAIRIE DOGS DRINK WATER?

Not usually, but they will. In the wild, they get enough moisture from the native grasses and weeds that they normally eat. In Albuquerque during a drought, they will eat cactus to receive their needed moisture and to prevent starvation. Supplemental water is needed in barren areas and during drought conditions.

IS IT OK TO FEED THEM?

If they have native grasses and weeds (even goathead greens) they don’t need to be fed. However, if their area is barren of foods native to their diet it is ok to feed them. Grass cuttings and alfalfa are the closest foods to their natural diet. Sweets are not natural for them but they love sunflower seeds, corn on the cob, lettuce, peaches, strawberries, watermelon and apples. They don’t like broccoli, zucchini and potatoes.

Picture 449WHY DO THEY NEED POPULATION CONTROL AND WHERE DO YOU TAKE THEM?

“City” prairie dogs are trapped in small areas and have no predators other than man and automobiles to maintain their population. Eventually they reach maximum population and must be thinned out on parkland in Albuquerque. They are relocated by our volunteers to a refuge south of the city. The ideal time is in June, July or August although they can be relocated in April before the babies are born.

DON’T THEY CARRY THE PLAGUE?

Plague is not carried by prairie dogs but by fleas that can infect all mammals. If a prairie dog is infected by plague carrying fleas, it, and the whole colony, will die. According to the Environmental Health Department, they are not carriers of the Hanta Virus. If prairie dogs are “frisky”, they are healthy.

CAN THEY TRANSMIT RABIES?

While all mammals are believed to be susceptible to rabies, there have been no recorded cases of prairie dogs transmitting rabies to humans. Most likely the animal is killed in the initial attack by a rabid animal, or dies shortly thereafter, before it can develop rabies. Never the less any rabid animal is potentially capable of rabies virus transmission. If the prairie dogs appear to be “frisky” they are most likely healthy and free of disease. Regardless of their condition, prairie dogs, like other wild animals, should not be handled.

WHAT KIND OF PRAIRIE DOGS LIVE IN ALBUQUERQUE?

Gunnisons or white-tailed which are one of five species of ground squirrels. The Black-tailed prairie dogs are no longer found in the Albuquerque area.

DO PRAIRIE DOGS HIBERNATE?

The Gunnison prairie dogs in Albuquerque do … Usually between November and March. Black-tailed prairie dogs do not.

HOW OFTEN DO PRAIRIE DOGS HAVE BABIES?

The usual litter is 3 to 5 pups once a year in May. The babies come above ground in June and begin to eat grasses and weeds instead of nursing. Only about 50% will survive more than 6 months.

Find out more about them by visiting some of our fact sheets here and here and here!

Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs

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Description: Yellowish buff mixed with black above, slightly paler below. Short, white-tipped tail. Terminal half of tail grayish white in center. 12-14″ in height, weighing 23-42 ounces. Lives 3-5 years in the wild, longer in captivity.

Similar Species: White-tailed and Utah prairie dogs have white in center of tail rather than grayish. Black-tailed Prairie Dog’s tail has black tip.

Breeding: 1 litter per year of 1–8 young, born in early May; gestation 27–33 days, pups emerge mid June.

Habitat: Short grass prairies in high mountain valleys and plateaus of southern Rocky Mountains at elevations of 6,000–12,000’ (1,800–3,600 m). Habitat is much more variable topographically and vegetationally than that of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog, which occurs at lower elevations.

Range: Southeastern Utah, south and central Colorado, northeast and central Arizona, and northwest New Mexico.

Discussion: The Gunnison’s Prairie Dog, like the rest of its kin, is active only when the sun is up, and is most energetic near dawn and dusk. It is constantly vigilant while aboveground, often sitting upright on its hind feet while it pursues its main activities: mainly feeding, but also grooming and playing. This animal generally is seen from April to October. It hibernates (torpor) in winter, living on stored body fat. It usually emerges in April, though they will emerge earlier if the winter is mild. Gunnison’s Prairie Dog feeds on green vegetation, particularly grasses, but also forbs, sedges, and shrubs, as well as a few insects. Its colonies are generally smaller and less closely knit than those of other prairie dogs, resembling ground squirrel aggregations, with fewer than 50 to 100 individuals. The animals in the colony cannot always see one another because their habitat is in such varied and patchy terrain, which is caused in part by human activities. On flat ground and where this prairie dog is protected colonies are much larger and more extensive. This species’ burrow systems can be up to 80 feet long and 16 feet deep in well-established colonies. Burrows can have food storage, flood, nesting, communal and excrement chambers. Territoriality is not well developed in Gunnison’s Prairie Dog, although old males may defend small areas outside their burrows. Mother-young relationships form the basic social unit. Newborns remain in the burrow about three weeks before emerging and are weaned about three weeks later. The female sits almost straight up on her haunches to nurse her young, who suckle either pectoral or inguinal (hind leg) nipples. Gunnison’s alarm call, distinctive among prairie dogs, is important to the survival and structure of the community. It is a series of high-pitched barks of one or two distinct syllables, with the second syllable lower and more guttural. The call may be repeated frequently and may continue for as long as half an hour. It increases in intensity as danger escalates, and ends in chatter as the animal enters its burrow. Predators include American Badgers, Coyotes, weasels, and raptors. Plague (Yersina pestis), carried by fleas, can decimate populations of this species. However, humans, through their extermination programs, are the chief enemy of Gunnison’s Prairie Dog.

Prairie Dog Facts

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  • Two of the five species of prairie dogs are protected under The Endangered Species Act. Black-tailed prairie dogs have been granted a “Warranted but Precluded” Threatened Species listing, which means that biologically they deserve protection but the government does not have the resources required for enforcement at this time.
  • Overall, prairie dogs inhabit less than 1% of their former range. New Mexico has the smallest remaining acreage of prairie dogs across their historical range. Best estimates on Gunnison’s populations are that they inhabit about 2% of their former region. This means overall numbers are dangerously low since their range is much smaller than that of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog. A surprisingly large percentage of remaining prairie dog colonies live in urban environments.
  • Black Footed FerretsPrairie dogs are known as a “keystone species.” Over 160 vertebrates alone are associated with large prairie dog colonies and over 80 on “urban” colonies. Possibly the world’s most endangered animal, the Black-footed Ferret, cannot live without prairie dogs. Some other federally protected species are nearly as dependent including the Ferruginous Hawk, the Burrowing Owl, the Swift Fox and the Mountain Plover. Biologists have termed them “perhaps the most important mammal on earth.”

Prairie dogs are important to their environment in three ways:

  • They are the primary prey on rangelands and their colonies also provide a greater density of other prey species.
  • They provide homes or shelters for dozens of species.
  • Their positive effect on soil and vegetation conditions.

 

  • Prairie dogs are annual breeders. About half of the females over two years of age will give birth to 3-5 pups in the spring. The overwhelming majority will not live six months.
  • Prairie dogs are highly social and possess the most complex language of any animal ever studied. They display different calls for raptors, coyotes, humans and even humans carrying guns. They have numerous other calls totaling over fifty distinct “words.” Kissing, hugging and grooming are regular pastimes. Burrows are much like homes possessing front and back doors, toilets, listening posts, sleeping quarters and storage rooms.
  • Poisoning prairie dogs is unacceptable. The primary poison used induces a slow, painful death that may take up to 72 hours. Other residents of their burrows suffer the same fate. Poisoning for population control is counter-productive. A mature colony left alone tends to expand about 2% per year. A poisoned colony expands at the rate of about 70% per year. Left to their own devices, prairie dogs experience their own natural population declines. They never undergo these decreases if we are constantly inducing our own, unnatural removal on their colonies.
  • Shooting definitely has a significant impact on prairie dog populations. One heavily shot area was reduced by 10,000 acres in just a couple of years. Shooting promotes disease, discourages other species from hunting or living in the colony, and is not “hunting.”

For more facts, visit 101 Questions and Answers about Prairie Dogs and Environmental Change and the Prairie Dog

About Prairie Dogs

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My goal in writing this article is to help educate people about prairie dogs, and to provide people with objective information backed by valid scientific research. As many of us in New Mexico live among prairie dogs, I feel it is especially critical that people are well educated about these native animals.

What are prairie dogs?

Prairie dogs are large, colonial, ground-nesting squirrels. They live in large communities (colonies) in grassland habitats. They are highly social animals, and have evolved a complex language system. Prairie dogs eat grasses and weeds, and they will clip grasses to enable them to detect predators. They live in family units called coteries that consist of usually one male and several females. Females often remain in the same burrow system during their lifetime and juvenile males leave the burrow during their first year. Prairie dogs usually live for about 5 years in the wild.

What species do we have in New Mexico?

Both black-tailed prairie dogs and Gunnison’s prairie dogs occur within New Mexico.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are the most social of all the prairie dog species, and occur in the Great Plains region. They used to be common in the eastern and southwestern part of New Mexico, but have been eliminated from most of their native habitat within the state.

Gunnison’s prairie dogs occur throughout the four corners region and are found in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Socorro, Gallup, and Grants. Gunnison’s prairie dogs also have declined significantly, and have been petitioned to be listed under the endangered species list.

Prairie dog reproduction

Prairie dogs are not prolific breeders. They only have one litter per year, consisting of about four young, of which only two usually survive.

The ecological role of prairie dogs

Prairie dogs were once among the most numerous and widespread herbivores in North American grasslands. Human activities such as habitat destruction and poisoning efforts have significantly reduced prairie dog populations. Three of the five species are federally listed as threatened or endangered. The most widespread species, the black-tailed prairie dog, now occupies less than 2% of its historical range. Scientists studying prairie dogs have estimated that at least 163 animal species are associated with prairie dog colonies, indicating that the prairie dog is a “keystone” (i.e., critically important) species in these ecosystems. Prairie dogs create ecological disturbances resulting in a diverse landscape that provides a variety of habitats for many plant and animal species, including black-footed ferrets, rabbits, squirrels, lizards, snakes, burrowing owls, and invertebrates. Prairie dogs also affect grassland plant species composition and vegetation structure and enhance soil and plant nutritional quality, which benefits antelope, bison, and cattle.

Prairie dog eradication has caused significant biological degradation and decline in biological diversity on grasslands in North America. Research has found that prairie dogs inhibit woody plants from invading grasslands, and has indicated that the elimination of these rodents has played a significant role in desertification of grasslands. In addition, removal of prairie dogs causes secondary extinctions of other species, altering the entire food web associated with prairie dogs. For example, the black-footed ferret, burrowing owl, mountain plover, and ferruginous hawk are among the most endangered prairie dog-dependent species. Despite their importance, people often want to exterminate prairie dogs because of misconceptions about proliferation, children being bitten, destruction of landscaped areas, plague, competition for forage with livestock, and animals breaking their legs in the burrows.

Are they dangerous to humans?

Prairie dogs are not a threat to children. They are timid animals, and when approached by humans, prairie dogs quickly scurry into the safety of their burrows. People should never hand feed prairie dogs or try to grab them. Hand feeding may cause the animals to be accustomed to humans, and result in bites when humans get too close.

Prairie dogs and hantavirus

Prairie dogs are not known to contract or transmit hantaviruses. Worldwide, hantaviruses are associated with deer mice and other rodents in the family Muridae, which are distant relatives of prairie dogs (Squirrels, in the family Sciuridae).

Prairie dogs and plague

Prairie dogs do not carry plague. Plague is a non-native disease, introduced to North America from Europe by humans. Prairie dogs have not evolved immunity to plague, and therefore, it kills 99% of the individuals in an infected colony. Plague has been a major contributor to causing the decline in prairie dog populations.

Fleas carry the plague. These fleas can be found on many wild animals, and are not limited to prairie dogs. Killing prairie dogs just causes fleas to search for another host, and is not recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as an effective method of plague control. The key to preventing plague is to control fleas, not prairie dogs. Avoiding contact with dead wild animals and dusting pets and rodent burrows with flea powder can successfully prevent plague. Plague is also easily overcome with antibiotics when detected early, so people should educate themselves about the symptoms of plague. A colony of active prairie dogs is indicative of healthy, plague-free prairie dogs, and should not cause concern.

What if they are damaging the landscape in your yard?

If prairie dogs are causing damage to landscaped areas, you can use visual barriers such as vegetation or low walls and additional below ground barriers to contain the animals. Prairie dogs are highly discouraged by tall vegetation, so plant native shrubs and do not mow native grasses. Xeriscaping the area will also help discourage prairie dogs, and conserve water.

How to get rid of prairie dogs

Rat poison should not be used to kill prairie dogs because it causes secondary poisoning of dogs, cats, and other animals, and is dangerous to children. The only legal method for killing prairie dogs involves the use of poisonous gas by licensed professionals (in most states), which is costly. The poisonous gases used are inhumane, causing slow and painful deaths, and can take up to 72 hours to induce death in an animal. During which time the animals suffer from burning of the mucus membranes to paralysis.

The best recommendation is to learn to live with these native animals, and, if for some reason, prairie dogs must be removed, you can contact professional relocators in the state that can be referred by People for Native Ecosystems (PNE) (505) 982-0496 or the City of Santa Fe Permit Development and Review (505) 955-6480. Prairie Dog Pals of Albuquerque also conducts some relocations, though mostly on public lands.

Shooting prairie dogs

Shooting is often used as a means of reducing the size of a prairie dog colony. Varmint hunters gather together in many states where prairie dogs occur to shoot them. They do not eat the prairie dogs; rather, they shoot them with rifles for target practice fun. In our national grasslands, bullet shells and literally exploded prairie dogs can be found littering the colonies. It is important to keep in mind that that these are highly social animals that are greatly affected by the shooting of their family members. Prairie dogs have become threatened species and are not prolific breeders, so sport shooting should be banned.

Do prairie dogs compete with cattle for forage?

Recent research has found that prairie dogs compete little for forage with cattle (~5%). In fact, by clipping grasses, prairie dogs eliminate old plant tissue and stimulate new plant growth. New plant growth contains more protein, so the nutritional quality of the vegetation on prairie dog colonies is greater than off colonies, despite the lower quantity of vegetation. Cattle have been found to gain similar to more weight when foraging on prairie dog colonies than off. Keep in mind that prairie dogs and bison have coexisted for millions of years, and bison and other ungulates consistently prefer to graze on prairie dog colonies.

What about falling into prairie dog holes?

The myth that cattle fall into prairie dog holes apparently began in the late 1800’s. During this time, cattle were over-stocked on rangeland here in the Southwest. Cattle were overgrazing the lands, and combined with a 25 year drought period at the end of the century, many of the grasslands became desertified. There was little forage for cattle to eat and many became sick and lethargic, causing some of the cattle to apparently fall into the burrows. A healthy cow slowly grazes with its head down and does not fall into burrows. Remember, bison evolved along with prairie dogs.

Some people like to ride their horses in the mountains but feel they can’t because prairie dog burrows are present. My advice is not to run your horse on a prairie dog colony, and find an alternative place to ride. These animals no longer occur in large colonies due to their population declines, and therefore, it should not be difficult to find an alternative place to ride. If we live in the mountains or are recreationally enjoying them it is important to remember that wildlife are present in these areas and we need to learn how to live with them, not eliminate them because they are in our way.

Prairie dogs as pets

Prairie dogs express social behavior that humans can relate to, but they do not make good pets. Because they are highly social animals, they should never be kept in isolation. Prairie dogs require considerable attention, and also are highly active with lots of energy and desire to chew and dig. They often will chew furniture when let out of their cage and will dig at rugs, tearing them up. In addition, prairie dogs have a breeding season each year, during which their hormones change and they can become aggressive. During this time even friendly prairie dogs can bite. Moreover, most prairie dogs sold as pets are taken directly from the wild. They have not been bred in captivity for generations, unlike most animals that we have for pets. Keep in mind that dogs have been domesticated for 10,000 years. Because prairie dogs have not been domesticated, they exhibit wild tendencies and may not always be friendly to the people they live with.

Wild prairie dogs sold for pets are often collected from areas where landowners want to reduce or eliminate the prairie dog population on their land. These prairie dogs have been acquired through unregulated harvest to provide profit for the pet trade. Some of the methods used to obtain prairie dogs for pets, such as removing prairie dogs with a “sucker truck,” a truck with a vacuum hose, are inhumane. The pet trade contributes to the decline of the species. If prairie dogs must be removed or controlled in an area, the animals should be humanely relocated to appropriate areas where their populations are desired.

Current efforts to protect prairie dogs within the state

Currently there are no efforts established to protect the Gunnison’s prairie dogs. However, both the city of Albuquerque and of Santa Fe do not allow the poisoning of this species within the city limits. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has determined that black-tailed prairie dogs have declined significantly throughout their range and that their status as a threatened species is “warranted but precluded.” Meaning that there are significant threats affecting the long-term viability of the black-tailed prairie dog, but there are insufficient resources to protect this species. The limited funds available to the USFWS for threatened and endangered species is currently being used for species that are of greater concern.

Game and fish departments from most states in which prairie dogs occur have established black-tailed prairie dog working groups. These working groups are designed to develop a management plan to reduce the decline of prairie dogs so that listing will not be necessary.

Why are they endangered? I see so many of them!

Often people think that because they see “lots” of prairie dogs that they couldn’t be declining. Keep in mind that they once occurred in huge numbers (~5 billion) throughout most of the grasslands in the central United States. They have declined greatly relative to their former abundance. There are many large threats affecting their populations: continued poisoning and shooting, habitat loss through development and desertification, and plague. In addition, many animal species that are dependent on the prairie dog require large colonies in order to support them. Most of the prairie dog colonies have become fragmented and isolated from one another, which lowers the long-term viability of maintaining the population and the other species dependent on them. The plight of the prairie dog is analogous to the passenger pigeon, once one of the most abundant and common species that has now become extinct due to human persecution.

How you can help

People are greatly needed to help in education, legislation, and relocation efforts. Contact a local wildlife organization such as Prairie Dog Pals or People for Native Ecosystems (contact info above) if you have an interest in helping the prairie dogs. You can also find more information about prairie dogs on the web at http://www.prairiedogs.org  and http://www.gprc.org  .

Ana D. Davidson, Ph.D.

Department of Biology

The University of New Mexico

Prairie Dog Talking Points

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  • Prairie dogs are a keystone species with up to 205 associated vertebrates (9 considered dependent) living with them, using their burrows, or predating upon them
  • There are 5 species of prairie dogs. The ones in Albuquerque are Gunnison’s, the others include Mexican, Utah, white and black tailed.
  • Gunnison’s prairie dogs hibernate during the winter months.
  • Over the last 100 years prairie dogs have been reduced to 1% of their former range and 2% of their population.
  • Some of the species are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Others are being considered for listing.
  • New Mexico has the smallest remaining acreage of prairie dogs.
  • Prairie dogs are territorial and will remain in or near their ancestral habitat if at all possible. The prairie dogs you see here in Albuquerque are the remnants of vast prairie dog towns that existed for hundreds of years.
  • Prairie dogs live an average of 3-5 years in the wild.
  • Prairie dogs are annual breeders. 50% of females over 2 years of age will breed and produce an average of 4 pups.
  • Pups are usually born in early May and will emerge from their burrows after about thirty days.
  • Prairie dogs have the most complex language of any animal ever studied.
  • They have over 200 words and can form sentences identifying intruders by color, size and type of risk.
  • Burrows are complex with a different area for each function of life. There are living chambers, sleeping and nesting rooms, a food storage area,
  • toilet rooms, and flood chambers. The burrows themselves generally include a second entrance or escape way, air chambers, and listening posts in addition to the main entrance.
  • As with humans, prairie dogs are the victims of plague. Virus carrying fleas are brought into the colony by wild animals or off leash cats or dogs.
  • As they have no immunity to the plague they will die within days.
  • Poisoning prairie dogs in both cruel and ineffective. The poison causes a slow agonizing death that may take up to three days.
  • A mature colony tends to expand at approximately 2% annually. A poisoned colony can expand at an annual rate of 70%. Additionally the poison can pose a danger to humans, cats, dogs, and other animals in the area.

Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs Facts

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Populations: The Ultimate Underdog

800px-Cynomys_ludovicianus5Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs are a White-tailed subspecies, which inhabits the four corners region. Once ubiquitous, current estimates place their populations at about 2 – 5% of their former range.

Two of the five species of prairie dogs are protected under the Endangered Species Act. There may be fewer Utah Prairie Dogs than Siberian Tigers. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, the most numerous due their large range, are considered a Candidate for Threatened Listing. They meet all criteria for listing, but the Fish and Wildlife Service does not yet have the resources to enforce the listing, so they were placed on the Candidate List in 2000. They are on about 1% of their former range.

tipping pointEcological Importance: A ‘keystone species.’

Prairie dogs are a ‘keystone species,’ or most important element, of their environment.

Up to 160 other species benefit from their presence.

They enrich their environment in three ways:

  1. As the primary prey on rangelands.
  2. They build homes or shelter for many species.
  3. They alter vegetation and soil to promote optimum grazing conditions.

The Black-footed Ferret is the most endangered mammal on our continent and cannot live without prairie dogs under any circumstances.

The Ferruginous Hawk, Swift Fox, Mountain Plover, and Burrowing Owl, are considered  for or federally protected species that are considered dependent on prairie dogs. Several other species are considered dependent on prairie dogs. Several other species are considered dependent.

It’s a Dog’s Life: a Brief Description of the Prairie Dogs, Themselves

Prairie dogs possess, perhaps, the most complex language of any animal ever studied. Even more so than primates. They have over fifty primary ‘words’ and can communicate in sentences, distinguish color, speed, and level of threat through language.

Prairie dogs live in family units called ‘coteries’. They often ‘kiss’ in a familial identification. The animals commonly seen poised on their hindquarters are sentries, ever vigilant on the lookout for danger to themselves and families.

Prairie dogs are annual breeders. Fifty percent of females over two years of age will give birth to about 4 pups in the spring. There is tremendous juvenile mortality.

Prairie dogs live to be about five years old in the wild.

Burrows are complex, with separate ‘rooms’ for each function of life. Toilet chambers, sleeping quarters and storage typify a home burrow. Often, listening posts are created near the entrance for added protection. Some burrows have several entrances.

Gunnison’s and White-tailed Prairie Dogs hibernate, or go into torpor, as it is called, from about November through February. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs do not hibernate.

Prairie Dogs and Plague

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PRAIRIE DOGS DO NOT TRANSMIT DISEASE TO HUMANS!

In the wild, prairie dogs are the victims of only one disease, plague. Plague was introduced to the west by settlers near the turn of the century and, “…we gave it to the prairie dogs”(1). It was first discovered in New Mexico in 1938(2). This non-native disease is spread by fleas and is carried into prairie dog towns by other animals such as mice, coyotes, and domestic dogs and cats. All mammals are capable of contracting plague. Once the fleas are present in a prairie dog colony, the entire town will perish within days, and individuals live for only a few hours.

Thus, if the plague is present, there are no active prairie dogs within about one week’s time. Such cases suggest that dogs infected with these diseases should be checked and admitted to a veterinary clinic as soon as possible. To prevent the spread of the plague, infected dogs can be euthanized humanely and compassionately if treatment is not possible. For more info on euthanization, visit this article.

Proven cases of human plague contracted from prairie dogs are virtually non-existent. The Centers for Disease Control and the department of health continually reinforce this fact. The CDC’s official position on destroying Prairie Dogs to control plague is, ” We do not recommend routine destruction of prairie dog colonies”(3). One CDC report specifically on plague says, “Plague in Cynomys Gunnisoni (Gunnison’s Prairie Dog) is devastating. Mortality during a plague epizootic typically exceeds 99%. Although mortality is great and flea infection rates may reach tremendous levels, human cases resulting from prairie dog plague are relatively few….and result from direct contact with an infected animal…Opisocrostis spp, (the fleas), maybe reluctant to bite humans”(4).

Cases of people contracting plague from live prairie dogs are non-existent. People who have been known to contract plague from prairie dogs can be traced to handling the corpse of an infected animal (5).

Some states have no record of anyone ever contracting disease from prairie dogs. The chances of contracting plague from a live prairie dog are so infinitesimally slim, it is simply a non-issue. Fleas will only seek a new host if the original host is deceased. For this reason, The Colorado Department of Health states, ...poisoning of burrowing rodents should not be routinely employed because this could release fleas into the environment and cause an increased risk to humans and pets” (6). Poisoning causes fleas to leave prairie dogs and other rodents in their burrows. This is the only time when a human health risk becomes a factor. Common sense points to the fact that having dozens of corpses present in an area is not a healthy environment for human activity. In contrast, everyone who regularly works with prairie dogs is vitally healthy. The writers of this plan have handled thousands of prairie dogs and they are all alive and well today. Nobody who regularly works with prairie dogs has ever suffered health complications of any kind. Though nearly impossible, if plague did strike in our times, plague is not synonymous with death. The disease can be treated with modern antibiotics and recovery rate is high, recovery time fairly brief.

Existing prairie dog colonies in Albuquerque neither have plague or would infect humans. One value of ‘city dogs’ is that if there is a large plague outbreak in an ecologically significant colony, these healthy animals can be reintroduced to prevent the collapse of the ecosystem. Plague can be controlled or prevented by using proper flea powder in prairie dog burrows once or twice per year (7). This practice is common in New Mexico and is generally conducted by the Department of Health or Environmental Divisions.

May we take this opportunity to reinforce the fact that prairie dogs are not able to become infected by or transmit any other disease including rabies or hanta virus. Plague is just another, tremendous threat against the survival of prairie dogs and their ecosystem. Gunnison’s prairie dogs, the variety in Albuquerque, are down to about 2% of their historical range (8) and are under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act (9).

Find out more about the dynamics of a plague outbreak here.

Literature Cited

1. Coniff, Richard 1998. Citing Pape, John. Epidiologist for Co Dept. of Health. Quoted on Wildlife Adventures, “Underdogs, Prairie Dogs Under Attack” Turner Productions, TBS

2. Cully, Jack. 1986 Metapopulation Characteristics of Sylvatic Plague Among Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs In the Moreno Valley, NM.(Citing Webber, 1978) Museum for Southwestern Biology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.

Cully, Jack F., Williams, Elizabeth S. 2001.Interspecific Comparisons of Sylvatic Plague in Prairie Dogs. Journal of Mammalogy. 82: 894-905

3. Reply letter to Prairie Ecosystems regarding official position of the CDC on prairie dogs and plague. Kathleen Orloski, DVM, MS, Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer. April 26, 1995.

4.. Centers for Disease Control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “Human Plague”, April 8, 2004, Vol. 43, No 13.

5.. Rocky Mountain News Spotlight article, “Dogs of War” quoting John Pape, Infectious Disease Specialist for The Colorado Dept. of Health. May 4, 1998.

6. Colorado Department of Health brochure, “Facts About Plague”, 1993.

7. Department of Health regular practice for controlling fleas. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and Plains Conservation Center have had tremendous success in controlling the spread of plague to reintroduced prairie dogs through this technique.

8. Knowles, C. 2001. Status of the Gunnison’s prairie dog. FWS & NWF.

9. Forest Guardians. 2004. Petition to List the Gunnison’s Prairie Dog as Threatened or Endangered Throughout its Range. Feb 23, 2004. www.fguardians.org

Prepared by: Prairie Ecosystems

 

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.