Moving the rattlesnake (see previous post) brought to mind the issue of transplanting prairie dogs. There are 5 species of prairie dogs in North America. Of these, one is considered threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act, another is considered endangered, and environmental groups are petitioning the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the remaining three species as either threatened or endangered.
Once upon a time, there were about 5 billion prairie dogs in the grasslands of the American West. These small groundsquirrels form the backbone of the western prairie ecosystem. By digging burrows and clipping vegetation, prairie dogs change the landscape of grasslands, providing homes for a variety of other vertebrate and invertebrate species. Some 200 species of vertebrates either depend on prairie dogs or are associated with prairie dog colonies. Many species of insects and invertebrates use the prairie dog burrows for shelter. The social structure of prairie dogs is complex, with animals occupying territories that they defend against other prairie dogs in nearby territories. They have a sophisticated system of alarm calls to predators that borders on being a language. In many respects, they are similar to people: They live in colonies called towns, they have a rich social and family life, they spend a considerable amount of time kissing each other to reaffirm social bonds, and they communicate a complex amount of information about the world around them. Along with the bison, the prairie dog is one of the icons of the American West.
In many states, prairie dogs are considered pests and vermin, and are regularly poisoned and shot. Today, we have perhaps 1-2 percent of their original numbers left. Because prairie dogs eat grass, they are commonly thought to compete with cattle for forage. Never mind that in historical times prairie dogs nicely coexisted with bison, whose diet is similar to that of cows. Their burrows are thought to regularly break the legs of cattle and horses, although finding someone whose horse or cow actually broke a leg in a prairie dog burrow can be difficult. And they are susceptible to bubonic plague, a disease that people introduced into animal populations in the American West in the early 1900s. Plague kills almost 100 percent of the prairie dog colony that succumbs to it, and is a major source of mortality for these animals, along with poisoning and shooting.
Throughout the American West, prairie dog colonies are being destroyed by development. Their towns are often in flat places that are perfect for the construction of subdivisions. Along the Front Range of Colorado, there were once grassy valleys with many prairie dog colonies between Denver and Boulder. Now there are subdivisions popping up all over, so that soon Denver and Boulder will be contiguous, with only signs telling the casual visitor that he or she has left one city and has entered another. As other cities throughout the range of the prairie dogs expand, the colonies either wink out of existence or become urban islands surrounded by a sea of houses.
A few citizen groups are trying to save prairie dogs by transplanting them to more isolated sites, away from urban areas. This is backbreaking and often heartbreaking work. The number of sites where prairie dogs can be transplanted is very limited. In a state like Colorado, prairie dogs cannot be transported across county lines without the express permission of the county commissioners. In other states, landowners can be fined huge amounts of money if prairie dogs migrate from their land into the land of their neighbors. When transplant sites can be found, moving the prairie dogs involves countless hours of work, trapping the animals, digging new burrows, moving everyone, and providing food at the new site until the prairie dogs become adjusted to their new surroundings.
While transplanting offers an immediate solution to saving animals who would otherwise be killed, we need a long-term solution to the rampant destruction of our environment and our wildlife. As our human population expands, so do the cities and suburbs. This is affecting our grasslands. Currently, there are 55 grassland species that are listed as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act and more than 728 species are candidates for listing. The consequences of human expansion are world-wide. Prairie dogs are among the almost 20% of all mammal species on earth today that are currently under threat of extinction. Estimates have suggested that we lose about 4 species of plants and animals per hour, or about 100 species per day, or 36,500 per year, primarily in the tropical forests. Human beings are responsible for the biggest number of extinctions since the dinosaurs died out some 65 million years ago.
The expansion of human population currently seems to have little room in it for the prairie dogs. Yet, ironically, as prairie dog colonies and natural grasslands are destroyed in the name of development, the reason that many people move into newly-minted subdivisions is to escape the crowding and lack of nature found in inner cities. People enjoy the very same natural surroundings that developments often obliterate. Small parks in the middle of subdivisions are sometimes poor substitutes for nature. After a subdivision levels the surrounding landscape, the first thing that most residents do is plant trees, bushes, and grass, and set up bird feeders and ponds to attract some of the wild animals that inhabited the place. Some developers capitalize on this and build subdivisions that have a non-intrusive footprint set into the natural landscape.
And here is one key to saving prairie dogs. From a pragmatic economic standpoint, developments set in natural surroundings often command higher prices than developments that are in barren, sterile and featureless landscapes. If prairie dogs can be seen as an economic attraction, they might have a chance to survive the tide of urbanization. Prairie dog colonies are fun places to watch animals. They are one of the few mammals who are active in the daytime. Unlike prairie dogs, most North American mammals only come out at night. And a prairie dog colony is a constant hum of activity. Animals chase one another. Pups kiss each other, and kiss their moms. Dads and moms stand at alert, watching for predators. Something is always going on in a prairie dog colony. In fact, zoos have found that prairie dogs are often their most popular exhibits.
Rather than destroying prairie dog colonies, cities, suburbs, and exurbs can develop watchable wildlife sites, where people can go to view the prairie dogs. This can give people a sense that they can reconnect with nature, and can provide an outing for both adults and children. It can also be a source of tourist dollars, where tourists can come to watch the prairie dogs and stay to eat at local restaurants and spend the night at local hotels. And developers can charge higher prices for homes around such watchable wildlife sites, much the same way that houses near golf courses command higher prices. Golf course houses create the illusion that the house is set amid a sea of green and abundant nature. Watchable wildlife sites can create the same illusion.
Also, before it is too late, we need to establish large reserves where animals such as prairie dogs and all the attendant plants and animals can live in safety. Following up on the economic theme, developers can be encouraged to build hotels and concessions at the periphery of these reserves, and tour companies can take ecotourists through the reserves on nature rides, much the same way that tourists now view large animals in Africa. Although many people have the prevailing view that we have plenty of open space, we have merely to look at the growth of the human population in states like California to see that open space is rapidly dwindling. At our current growth rate, the time is rapidly approaching when we will no longer have much open space available for wildlife.
Finally, we need to continue to use legal and educational means to persuade public agencies to conserve the animals that they are charged with protecting. There are a number of citizen and environmental groups who are working very hard to ensure the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act and the dissemination of educational materials about the importance of prairie dogs and grassland ecosystems. Many of these groups operate through donations from like-minded supporters.
While in theory just knowing that we are saving a piece of our heritage should be sufficient in itself, in practice it is economics that will determine how much of our heritage of plants and animals will remain for posterity.
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