Dedicated to the Preservation of Prairie Dogs and their Habitat
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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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.
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
Spring marks the annual beginning of an increasingly popular non-lethal method of removing 
unwanted 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
We just found this great article from the April 2014 issue of Journal of Wildlife Management called “Dynamics of Reintroduced Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs” which is of interest to our followers. Enjoy!
The Clovis City Commission will meet 5:15 p.m. Thursday at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library.
The agenda includes:
• A request to relocate prairie dogs on city land to Ector County, Texas, and use of water to help facilitate that animals’ removal from the ground.
Citizens for Prairie Dogs has twice sought city clearance to move the animals from Goodwin Lake, Ned Houk Park and O.G. Potter Park. The first time, Chaves County officials voiced opposition and the city commission voted the item down. The commission gave conditional approval to a move to Mitchell County, Texas, but Mitchell County officials made it clear the animals were not welcome there either.
BOULDER- The City of Boulder is relocating about 500 prairie dogs to nearby grasslands, because they are causing some damage to the Foothills Community Park.
The project comes up to about $66,000 to move all of the prairie dogs. That works out to just over $132 per animal.
Read more at: Boulder
Employees at businesses neighboring an exterminated prairie dog village have become protective of a lone survivor. 
Parker residents continue to talk about the apparent gassing of the now-barren colony, which encompassed at least half a dozen properties on the northeast corner of Mainstreet and Twenty Mile Road. There are no development plans for the land, a point that has some questioning why the extermination took place.
This document establishes the best practices protocols, followed by Prairie Dog Pals for the humane capture, staging and relocation of prairie dogs.
The capture and relocation of prairie dogs should only be undertaken as a last resort to insure the survival of the colony. Capture can occur during the following periods:
10 days after the pups have emerged from the burrows and are of a sufficient mobility and size to safely tolerate relocation (approximately mid June).
Up to two months prior to hibernation (mid September) depending on the weather and the elevation.
Timing of capture in the day should not occur before prairie dog families, especially with newly emerging pups are observed above ground for the day.
There are only two acceptable and humane methods of capturing prairie dogs: Flushing and Trapping. The use of vacuum equipment is neither humane nor effective and should be prohibited for all species of prairie dogs
The use of a foam-enhancing device such as a tube filled with baffles, to increase the amount of foam, is recommended.
The prairie dog should be captured by hand or net while working at the flushed burrow. Every effort should be made to prevent a flushed prairie dog from exiting without capture and escaping to another burrow.
All prairie dogs exiting the same burrow should be marked with a non-toxic dye, such as food coloring, to identify family groups.
The water temperature used for flushing should not exceed 90 degrees or fall below 65 degrees for the safety of the prairie dogs. Higher temperatures can occur in the length of hose if water is allowed to remain in the hose for extended periods. This high temperature water should be purged before resuming flushing. During early spring the temperature of the supply water should be checked to ensure that it is not too cold for flushing.
Prairie dogs should be placed in sturdy kennels with wire windows and doors that cannot be chewed through allowing escape.
Kennels should be filled with fresh timothy (grass hay) to calm the prairie dogs and provide some natural bedding.
The number of prairie dogs placed in a kennel should not cause crowding. Large kennels can accommodate 15 to 20 prairie dogs depending on the size of the prairie dogs. Large males should be segregated to avoid fighting, but identified to indicate the family group from which they came so that they can be reunited with the family group during relocation.
Kennels should be marked to identify the area from where the prairie dogs were captured as well as, the number, sex and age (adult/juvenile) of the prairie dogs that the kennel contains. Duct tape and sharpies provide a waterproof durable record for the kennel for the day.
Kennels should be kept out of direct sunlight to avoid heat stress.
Kennels should be covered with wet towels if ambient temperature exceeds 90 degrees. On days when morning temperatures exceed 90 degrees consideration should be given to a midday transfer of the prairie dogs to the staging facility to avoid heat stress.
Prairie dogs should be dried off completely after flushing to avoid hypothermia or shock.
Eyes should be treated with saline solution to remove any soap solution or grit.
A field exam should be conducted to separate any injured, wounded or disabled prairie dogs to a small treatment carrier for later first aid.
Prairie dogs should be transported in a closed, air-conditioned (or appropriately heated during the winter) vehicle.
The capture crew must keep accurate records because an imbalance in the male to female ratio could indicate that:
The trapper should survey the site to plot out the family groups prior to capture.
The trapper should make notations of active burrows and prairie dog activity (with binoculars) to assess family groups.
The number of traps used should be verified before setting, during, and at final collection.
All traps should be set for 100% visibility at all times.
Traps should be set near the active burrows.
Each trap should be tested to verify it is in working order when baiting.
Each trap should be baited for the requirements of the specific site.
“Teaser” food may be used as appropriate. Teaser food, if used, should be placed to lead up to the entrance of the trap.
Trappers should allow fifteen to thirty minutes for the prairie dogs to resume activities after disturbances.
The traps can be relocated at appropriate intervals (disturbances, picking up a trap) if prairie dogs are inactive in one area.
The site or the traps should never be left unattended.
The trapper should immediately walk, not run (not directly to avoid panicking the prairie dog), towards the trap with the captured prairie dog and cover the trap with a heavy towel.
The trapper should carry the covered trap by the handle or the ends without extending fingers through the wire.
The prairie dog should be transferred from the trap to the hay-filled kennel using a second person as a spotter by inserting trap into the kennel set on its end and then opening the bottom door of the trap (two person job).
Kennels should be marked to identify the area from where the prairie dogs were captured as well as number, sex and age (adult/juvenile) of the prairie dogs that the kennel contains. Duct tape and sharpies provide a waterproof durable record for the kennel for the day.
Individual prairie dogs should be marked with food coloring if more than one family is placed in the same kennel.
Trappers should place holding kennels in a protected location away from exposure to the elements and potential passers-by.
Trappers should collect all traps at the end of the session,confirming and reconfirming the numbers of traps used. Left over bait may be left near burrows for remaining prairie dogs.
Prairie dogs should be staged for a period up to one week prior to relocation. This period will allow for observation and feeding prior to relocation. Prairie dogs can lose up to 30% of their body mass during the relocation process so good nutrition is important. They can be relocated providing their health and weight conditions are good. Prairie dogs captured from a day’s trapping or flushing require several steps of processing before being transferred into the holding facility.
Livestock tanks should be not less than 30” high. Custom fitted hardware cloth lids (not chicken wire) framed in wood should be constructed to prevent any prairie dog from escaping by clinging to the hardware cloth lid and nosing through the gap. Gallon jugs filled with water placed on cross panels may be used to weight lids. Livestock tanks may be placed on furniture dollies to facilitate the ease of processing, feeding, and transfer.
The prairie dogs should be processed into the staging facility as follows:
Bowls of water or water dispensers are not required, and are in fact, inappropriate, as spillage may contaminate the hay. Sufficient fruit and vegetables, in appropriate containers provide sufficient moisture for this drought tolerant species.
The fruit and vegetables provided should comprise at least 4 oz per prairie dog per day, (hence the accurate head count requirements per livestock tank), plus all the timothy hay and sunflower seeds the family groups could consume. The formula of 4 oz per prairie dog per day is appropriate until end of season relocations are staged. Staged prairie dog family groups being relocated near the end of the season can be observed to consume less food, if they are already of a sufficient body weight and condition for hibernation.
As end of season relocations are staged, the moist food provided may be reduced to approximately 2-3 oz per prairie dog per day, with no decrease in the amount of sunflower seeds or hay provided.
Every precaution should be taken to avoid attracting flies to the moist food and resulting feces. Fly strips/traps should be hung at appropriate intervals to minimize the chance of prairie dogs being compromised by fly attacks.
Day-old food is to be removed and replaced with fresh food daily.
Spoiled hay (wet, contaminated, flattened) is to be removed and disposed of in an appropriate manner and replaced with fresh hay as needed until final transfer to the relocation site.
In the event of a suspicious death post capture (not attributable to injury or poisoning), the remains are to be provided to the State Diagnostic Testing Office at UNM (where PDP has an account) for a necropsy.
An appropriate site should be selected for the relocation area. There are a number of factors to consider such as:
Once an area has been selected the site is prepared as follows.
Prairie dogs who have been observed within their family groups for approximately one week and meet the health, weight, and body condition requirements suitable for relocation may be released to the artificial burrows at the relocation site. Juveniles relocated within their family groups must be a minimum of 350 grams (14 ounces) before being relocated.
The burrows at the city colonies and relocation area(s) should be dusted with a deltamethrin compound (Delta Dust) bi-annually, in the Spring and Fall. This is a preventative measure to reduce fleas and minimize the possibility of plague. Flea dusting can be excluded at public parks and playing fields to eliminate any risk of exposure to companion animals and humans. These sites are well within the city and the possibility of introducing fleas by wild animals or off leash pets is reduced.
Biannual reporting should be performed for the release site and for target sites within the city. The reports should be completed prior to pup season (early spring) and after the prairie dogs have gone into hibernation (late
fall). The city report should address the following:
By the end of December, 2012, 200 to 250 prairie dogs will be relocated to Broomfield’s Great Western Reservoir Open Space to accommodate the expansion of the city’s Lake Link Trial. The prairie dogs, who are currently living in open space behind Legacy High School, are being moved to allow for a new section of paved trail that will run through the area they currently inhabit. The prairie dogs will be moved by volunteers using non-lethal relocation methods such as humane traps. This particular project, and the policies it implements, demonstrates the city’s prairie dog management policies, and also highlights some of the main issues with current prairie dog conservation methods.
There are many images that evoke thoughts of New Mexico. The Cabezon, Otero Mesa, Governor’s Square in Santa Fe, the smell of roasting chile, but there is none that evoke it so much for me as the picture taken by Chuck Hayes at the Sevilleta. It just SCREAMS New Mexico. Prairie, Mountains, and Prairie Dogs.
This is a prairie dog we’d relocated during the summer. The Manzanos are in the background and you can see an artificial burrow tube immediately to the side of the prairie dog. It is still used for emergencies but this prairie dog had already dug in near by.
Here’s another beauty captured by Sharyn Davidson.
Besides our volunteers, the most precious commodity in the relocation process is relocation habitat. Very few people or groups are willing to provide land for the reintroduction of prairie dogs. Additionally the site must meet rigorous criteria to ensure that it is suitable for the introduction of prairie dogs. The site is evaluated based on vegetation, soil type, terrain, and biological appropriateness in terms of existing species and the whether or not it is traditional habitat for the prairie dogs being relocated.
Very few sites are ideal. We have had some success with the city of Albuquerque open space, tribal land, and private landowners. We are partnering with educational institutes and wildlife refuges for future relocations. Our vision is to secure sufficient habitat to accommodate all prairie dogs threatened with habitat loss, state wide.
Here is a picture of our relocation habitat on the west mesa in Albuquerque. Once the site has been selected, site preparation begins.
Cage caps are used to contain the prairie dogs during the relocation process. The cage caps are placed over the ends of the tubes leading to the artificial burrows. They allow the prairie dogs to become acclimated to their new environment without the threat of predation. In the picture above a volunteer is constructing a cage cap. The caps are made of 1/2” square hardware cloth.
The nesting boxes are made out of donated 15-25 gallon nursery pots. In the picture above the holes to accommodate the tubes are being cut into the pots.
The holes are slotted to accommodate the corrugated tubing.
The nesting box is filled with hay and capped with hardware cloth. The hardware cloth will allow waste to filter to the ground under the nesting box.
The nesting box is inverted and the tubing attached.
Holes to accommodate the nesting boxes can be machine excavated using an auger or backhoe. The picture above shows an augured hole.
The augured hole has a 45-degree “ramp” to the surface to accommodate the tube coming out of the side of the nesting box.
The nesting box in place.
Finished product. The ends of the tubes are capped to prevent occupation by other animals.
Notes: With the city we use a bobcat with the following attachments: 24” auger, a 12” backhoe/bucket and a blade. The holes get augured first, then the “ramps” are cut, then the nesting box is set, and then the hole is backfilled using the blade. Shovel work is required to dress up the area. Alternatively you can use a backhoe for the whole operation. We try to minimize the damage to the grass by minimizing passes and traffic.
one last time then placed in kennels for movement to the relocation site.
Volunteers identify the kennels with respect to the prairie dogs and target relocation area.
The prairie dogs are moved from the holding tanks and cages to the kennels.
At the relocation site time and temperature are always a factor. Every effort is made to keep the prairie dogs from over heating.
The cage caps are stuffed with hay. The hay serves as both food and bedding for the prairie dogs. Food dishes are placed in each cage cap.
When all is ready the prairie dogs are moved from the kennels or cages and placed into the tubes leading to the nesting box.
The cage caps are set and staked in place. The hay and food are replenished for up to 5 days after which the prairie dogs are allowed to “escape.” Here you can see the prairie dogs in the cage caps. They can acclimate to their environment while being protected from predators.
Once the prairie dogs have “escaped” the cage caps are removed. The prairie dogs will continue to use the artificial burrows to escape from predators.
Ideally, the prairie dogs will start digging their own natural burrows nearby as can be seen above. Eventually the prairie dogs will move further a field establishing new coteries.
Once the prairie dogs have established their permanent residences we will reutilize the artificial burrows. We use a camera to inspect the artificial burrows, and if unoccupied, reuse them for other relocations from the same colony.
Poisoning or simply bulldozing prairie dogs alive in their burrows has been the common approach to dealing with unwanted colonies. Properly conducted prairie dog relocation is humane and restores the ecosystem at the release site. There are only two humane methods of capture:
Prairie Dog Relocation Process with Soapy Water:
• A mild dishwashing liquid is mixed into a water tank and hosed into prairie dog burrows.
• The soap bubbles fill the burrow making the prairie dogs want to exit the burrow.
• A second person uses their bare hands to catch the dogs as they exit the burrow. The prairie dog is then dried with a towel.
• Saline eye drops are applied to the eyes to clear away the soap and any dirt.
• The prairie dogs are placed into pet carriers filled with grass hay and flea dusted.
Prairie Dog Relocation Process with Live Trapping:
• Live cage traps are placed at each active burrow, baited, and continuously monitored. When captured, prairie dogs will be immediately flea dusted. They are removed from exposure to the elements and placed into pet carriers filled with grass hay.
• A separate carrier is used for each coterie so families are kept together and released together.
• Three to four people are needed to do this work for most sites; volunteers are needed.
• The crew uses food coloring on the fur to identify family groups and to make sure prairie dogs that emerge together are released together.
Land Preparation & Release:
• The release site is prepared by trenching for artificial burrows. Artificial burrows are underground nesting boxes with tubing attached to the ground’s surface, which serves as a rudimentary burrow system.
• The prairie dogs are flea dusted and placed by hand into artificial burrows. Each burrow contains a family group.
• After each group is placed into their artificial burrow, an above ground cage cap is attached to the tubing to contain the animals. Plenty of favorite foods are placed into the cage.
• The prairie dogs remain in these structures for up to one week. Daily feeding is conducted.
• When the time is appropriate, the cages are removed from the artificial burrows. A minimal two days of intensive monitoring is required to insure the prairie dogs commit to digging home burrows within the accepted release area.
• Predator monitoring and non-lethal discouragement may be conducted, such as installing fencing around the release area.
• Regular monitoring and daily feeding are conducted at the onset.
• Maintenance efforts may include regular flea dusting around burrows, and supplemental feeding during drought conditions.
There are no vaccination requirements (please refer to the letter from the city regarding this.)
Based on the letter and our review of CDC recommendations for handling animals during rescue operations, we’ve developed our own protocol to protect our volunteers.
• Wash hands with soap and water:
• Use anti-bacterial cleanser after washing.
• Wear heavy protective gloves when handling prairie dogs.
• Wear surgical gloves when handling sick or wounded animals.
• Wear surgical and protective gloves when cleaning cages.
• Consider use of goggles or face protection if splashes from contaminated surfaces may occur.
• Do not allow rescued animals to bite or scratch you.
• Do not eat in animal care areas.
• Pregnant women and immuno-compromised persons should not volunteer for positions involving direct animal contact.
Optional
• Bring a change of clothes to wear home at the end of the day.
• Bag and thoroughly clean clothes worn at the shelter.
• Whenever possible, caretakers should have completed a 3-dose prophylactic vaccination series for rabies.
• Whenever possible, caretakers should have a tetanus shot to protect against infections from accidental scratches or bites.
Required
• In the event that a person is bitten by a prairie dog that appears to be ill or acting strangely, the animal will be surrendered for rabies testing and the person be given prophylactic vaccination as a precaution. In addition, the testing should include plague/tularemia screening in case the sick animal represents the first stage of a plague epizootic.