According to U.S. Forest Service an outbreak of plague is killing black tailed prairie dogs in the Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado.
The prairie dog colonies at the grassland decreased from 16,000 acres in 2005 to just 3,607 this year. This raised concerns for the future of the species.
Agency reports that, plague occurs regularly among prairie dogs throughout their range, spreads quickly through colonies, and can infect pets and humans that come into contact with them,
According to conservation groups, there is Unfortunately no federal protection right now for the black-tailed prairie dog. Poisoning, shooting, bulldozing for development, all those threats are allowed to continue.
Colorado allows hunting of prairie dogs, including on the national grassland, and even the drastic population drop has not changed that.
Usually entire colonies routinely die from plague in Colorado. The Comanche population was one of the largest and best-documented in the state, and the die-offs indicate the species needs the federal protection.
However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to determine, possibly as soon as today, whether the prairie dog should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. They are also studying “plague management tools,” may be wide-scale spraying would be able to control the fleas that spread plague.
Source:The Gazette
Filed under Dog, Entirely Pets, Others, Pet Meds | Tags: Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado, grassland, need federal protection, Prairie dogs | Comment Below
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According to U.S. Forest Service an outbreak of plague is killing black tailed prairie dogs in the Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado.
