Can the Prairie Dog Be Saved?

At least the Black-tailed species is represented in good numbers in captivity, at least in Europe. Almost every zoo large or small has some of them ! Even in privat collections the species is kept and bred in good numbers.
How the sithuation with the other species is, I can not say but maybe another ZooChatter does know more about this.
 
I know the white-tailed and Utah have been considered rare or endangered for as long as I can remember. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs are well represented in most U.S. collections as well.
 
I don't think Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs are endangered, they seem to have high numbers in the wild and almost every zoo I've been to has some.

~Thylo:cool:
 
the black-tailed prairie dog is listed by IUCN as Least Concern
 
Chlidonias said:
the black-tailed prairie dog is listed by IUCN as Least Concern
Click to expand...

I know! I think they're a hardy species, one time I was driving down a highway and we saw two groups of prairie dogs, one right on the side of the road and another in between the two roads. I assume they had a tunnel underneath to connect the two.

~Thylo:cool:
 
Of course, the research talks about it being such a hated rodent and the continued loss of habitat and random hunting doesn't help. Let's not forget the Passenger Pigeon who's numbers blackened the skies for miles. Or the loss of related family members effecting breeding cycles. Not likely to become extinct in captivity, but with other conditions in the wild who's to say in another generation? And then there's bubonic plague on top of everything else. Just another species to keep a watchful eye on.
 
Very important species to its ecosystems, many other species depend on the survival of the prairie dogs. Definitely a keystone species.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top