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PRAIRIE DOGS MYTHS
Prairie dogs may be surrounded by more myth-making than any other wildlife species in the Great Plains. In fact, science has put to rest most of these misconceptions. Unfortunately, the general public and many policy-makers still lack exposure to the truth. What follows is a debunking of prairie dog myths.
•Myth #1: Prairie Dogs are Everywhere. Actually, there now exists less than 1% of the prairie dog acreage which existed historically. The little prairie dog acreage remaining is usually in the form of isolated and fragmented colonies, many of which will be unable to sustain prairie dogs in the long-term. Especially alarming are the lack of healthy prairie dog complexes (multiple colonies occurring within close proximity of each other) that used to sustain the multitude of associate species which depend on prairie dogs as prey or for the habitat they create. Plague has now compounded the human threats of poisoning, shooting, and habitat destruction. Prairie dogs are not everywhere; rather, threats to prairie dogs are everywhere.
•Myth #2: Prairie Dogs Multiply Like Rabbits. In reality, prairie dogs have a very low rate of reproduction compared to other small mammals. They breed only once a year, and the average litter size is 3-4 pups. Furthermore, when confronted with physical barriers to expansion, prairie dogs practice infancticide, sometimes reaching 50% destruction of litters. Those animals whose reproduction is having the greatest impact on the environment are, of course, humans, not prairie dogs.
•Myth #3: Prairie Dogs Spread the Plague. In fact, prairie dogs do not spread the plague, they are too busy dying from it. Prairie dogs lack immunity to plague, and mortality rates consequently exceed 99% of a prairie dog population. Prairie dogs typically die within a few short months after contact with the plague bacterium. Other mammals such as mice, cats, and dogs carry the plague. Plague in humans is easily treatable with standard antibiotics. Of the 42 plague cases in Colorado since 1957, only six were directly linked to prairie dogs and, of those six, only one was a fatality. Therefore, given that only one human fatality has been caused by diseased prairie dogs in the past forty years, it is clear that plague is a much greater threat to prairie dogs than to humans.
•Myth #4: Prairie Dogs and Cattle Can’t Coexist. Actually, prairie dogs and cattle have a mutually beneficial relationship. Prairie dogs improve the forage for cattle, and cattle grazing allows prairie dog colonies to expand in midgrass prairie. Both cattle and prairie dogs have demonstrated a preference for grazing together, just as bison and prairie dogs historically preferred each other’s company. However, given the extensive ecological damage cattle grazing causes in the American West, cattle are not a good substitute for the environmental benefits of a bison- and prairie dog-grazed Great Plains.
•Myth #5: No One Will Miss the Prairie Dogs When They’re Gone. In fact, prairie dogs sustain a multitude of wildlife species, several of whom would miss the prairie dogs dearly should they disappear. The black-footed ferret is one of the rarest mammals in the world. The ferret inhabits prairie dog burrows and depends on prairie dogs for over 90% of its dietary needs. The main reason the black-footed ferret is endangered is the war against the prairie dog declared at the turn of the century. The swift fox and ferruginous hawk also depend on prairie dogs for food, and have declined along with prairie dogs. The mountain plover and burrowing owl depend on the habitat prairie dogs create, and they have declined throughout their ranges. There are many others — small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, plants, and insects — whose world is crumbling as prairie dogs and their towns continue to be destroyed.
Action! Whenever you hear someone repeating one of these myths, set the record straight. The following are some suggested ways to do this:
Where prairie dog myths are put forward in print:
Where prairie dog myths are asserted over the air:
Where prairie dog myths are put forward during public meetings:
Where prairie dog myths are uttered by friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances:
It is essential for us all to demolish
prairie dog myths.
The fate of this species, and the ecosystem it sustains, depends on it.
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