Living With Prairie Dogs?

It is not impossible to allow prairie dogs their last refuge along the open spaces of our urban corridor. Here we address some common issues about living around prairie dog towns.

Plague: Plague is a disease brought to the west by European settlers. Fleas are the carriers of this disease, not prairie dogs. They are brought into prairie dog towns by other animals. Prairie dogs have no immunity to infection, and die within hours. The town will disappear within days, therefore, if you see an active prairie dog colony, plague is not present. It is through direct contact with dead or infected animals that allow the plague-carrying fleas to find a new host. In the event of a plague outbreak, the Colorado Department of Health offers flea dusting in the burrows and warns, “…poisoning of burrowing rodents should not be routinely employed because it could release fleas into the environment and cause an increased risk to humans and pets.”

Rabies: The occurrence of rabies in prairie dogs is extremely rare, and a dead-end for the disease. According to the CDC, of the more than 268,000 cases of rabies reported since 1950, only two were prairie dogs. One was in 1960, and one was in 1986.

Containment: While not a 100% guarantee, there are ways of virtually eliminating prairie dog expansion into unwanted areas. Solid barriers sunk into the ground, tall, woody vegetation, sonic devices, and motion sensitive sprinklers are some methods of keeping prairie dogs within reasonable boundaries. There are also certain techniques to increase the success rate of predation on prairie dog towns, and keep populations in check. All of these recommendations vary from site to site for several reasons ranging from terrain to population density to budget and aesthetics. These methods have been successful in Boulder, Fort Collins, Lawton, OK, Albuquerque, NM, and Cherry Creek State Park, and are endorsed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It is important to note that, in general, prairie dogs stay near their homes. They are territorial creatures, and tend to set up nearly permanent camp wherever they live.

Relocation: Moving prairie dog should only be an option in two instances: 1) A permanent destruction of their habitat will occur on this land (i. e. development). 2) A few prairie dogs have been pushed into unwanted areas (i. e. backyards, etc.). Relocation can be extremely effective. A 96-100% removal can be achieved, with a highly successful survival rate once released.