Prairie dogs are suffering a catastrophic population decline in Colorado and other states. They are routinely poisoned, bulldozed and shot, and this situation is compounded by development, agriculture and the capture of animals for the pet trade. These threats result in colonies that are small, isolated and fragmented and therefore much more susceptible to catastrophic natural events, genetic problems and outbreaks of the plague.

The following threats affect not only prairie dogs but also entire communities of life.

• Poisoning has greatly reduced prairie dog populations. In the 1920s, approximately 32 million acres of prairie dogs were poisoned in the United States. 12* Ranchers who believe myths that prairie dogs interfere with cattle grazing continue to poison. 3* Federal and state agencies continue to advocate prairie dog poisoning on both public and private lands. 13*

• Shooting has significant impacts on prairie dogs, including dramatic population reductions and social disruption which may result in genetic inbreeding. 5*

• Development is an especially significant threat to prairie dogs in Colorado. 4* In recent years, development alone accounts for up to a 25 percent reduction in prairie dog acreage across the state.

• Agriculture poses yet another threat. Perhaps the primary reason for the historical demise of the prairie dog is this country's addiction to meat. Prairie dogs are killed because they are perceived as competing with cattle for forage (even though published studies in range science journals have debunked this myth 8*). They're also killed because of the gross inefficiency of meat-based agriculture (massive amounts of land are needed to produce the crops that we feed to the animals we eat). To learn more, view and download our fact sheet on prairie dogs and diet.

• The plague is primarily devastating to prairie dogs, not humans. Prairie dogs have almost no immunity to the plague. 7* Consequently, they die within a short time period (often only a week) after contact with the bacterium. 14* Thus far, prairie dogs have not been eliminated by plague only because of their historically large, disperse populations. 15* View and download our Prairie Dogs and the Plague fact sheet to learn more.

• The latest threat to prairie dogs comes from the pet trade. Most prairie dogs collected for the pet trade are pulled from their homes and separated from their families in the wild. Methods of "collection" include trapping, vacuuming, and flushing. Learn more.

These threats to the prairie dog exist because the system not only allows the destruction but also PERPETUATES it. The poisoner does not poison without the approval of the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The developer does not destroy habitat without municipal or county permission. The shooter does not shoot for sport without the consent of state agencies.

Solutions to most of these threats will be found when the myths and stigma surrounding prairie dogs are eradicated.

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