Prairie Dogs in Arizona

Female 1: Black-tailed prairie dogs are tough social animals that live in and around burrows deep within the prairie soil. They are also endlessly cute. For example, family members greet each other with what looks like a kiss. They’re not really kissing but gently touching their front teeth together which is how prairie dogs recognize each other. Louis and Clark on their famous 1804 journey across North America noted that, “this wild dog of the prairie appears here in infinite numbers”. At that time an estimated five billion prairie dogs lived throughout the continent’s vast prairie. Sadly, that is not the case today. These black-tailed prairie dogs live at the Phoenix Zoo, and until recently, the only place in Arizona to see them was in captivity. Male 1: What can we do you for? Female 1: Well, your welcome to ____. Nearly 50 years ago, black-tailed prairie dogs vanished from the Arizona landscape. But thanks to a multi-partner reintroduction effort, they’re making a come-back. Male 2: This is a very important effort because of the loss of the species to the grassland. Restoring the grasslands to the conditions that they once were, is a goal of the department, that prairie dog is a species of wild life that manipulates its environment to the conditions and thus creates islands within seas of grasslands. Biodiversity and species diversities increased on prairie dog towns. Also this is a national effort to conserve the species in contributing… this contributes to the national goals that have been established. Female 1: For this first release, 74 black-tailed prairie dogs were captured at the Ladder Ranch in New Mexico, shortly before they were driven to Arizona for release. Male 2: The prairie dogs that we’re using in the release today were obtained from New Mexico. The populations in New Mexico are the prairie dogs that are the most genetically like the ones that we’re hearing in Arizona historically. We were cooperated with the – Species Fund, which has released prairie dogs on some other ranches in New Mexico and we’re able to obtain the animals from Ladder Ranch. It was a three-day effort for trapping, but it was a two-week effort for pre-baiting to get the prairie dogs used to going into the traps. Female 1: The trans-located prairie dogs weren’t just dropped off at their new home and expected to automatically fend for themselves. As part of the site preparation, burrows that extend between four and five feet beneath the earth’s surface were dug by volunteers and department personnel. Ready-made burrow entrances of PVC pipe are surrounded by wire-acclamation cages for the prairie dogs. Male 2: This is different from other wildlife releases in that very critical component for prairie dogs, is their burrow system. That’s what they use for escaping predators. And so what we have to do is allow them the opportunity to build the burrow system to be able to escape predators. So what we do with this release technique is we place them in cages directly onto the ground and entice them to burrow out of those cages and thus creating a burrow system for escaping the predators. Once they have dug out or established the burrow then we will remove the cages Female 1: A few of the prairie dogs escaped a little quicker than planned and the race was on. But you have to be pretty fast to outrun and determine the game in fish biologists. How on earth did you get him? Male 3: Chase him down. Female 1: Nice! While some of the prairie dogs were getting a feel for their new home, the daughter of the area land manager was busy naming them. Female 2: Speeder, Climber, umm… Carrot, and Marshmallow. Female 1: While naming these prairie dogs is fun, it’s important to remember that they’re wild animals and should never be kept as pets. They belong here on the grasslands and they’re being reintroduced to this area so they can play their part in contributing to a balanced habitat. Male 2: Prairie dogs are important to put back in the ecosystem because of how they manipulate their environments. They are a species known by some as a keystone species, in which they will create an environment within an environment to allow other species to survive. What we expect to see here once these prairie dogs are established is an increase in avian fauna or bird species, burrowing house as well as a changes within the grassland ecosystem itself. We expect less mesquite trees in the area, thus opening it up, making it more attractive to grassland species. Female 1: Black-tailed prairie dogs are one of Arizona’s two native prairie dog species. The Gunnison’s prairie dog is found in the northern part of the state and historically, the black-tailed prairie dog is found in the southeastern grasslands. Human-related factors including poisoning and habitat fragmentation eventually wiped out the black-tailed in Arizona. Male 2: One of the national goals, state goals that we’ve established ourselves is to establish a population of nearly 5000 occupied acres of prairie dogs so within the next five years, we hope to continue releasing black-tailed prairie dogs in different areas that we’ve identified of as potential black-tailed prairie dog habitat, thus creating a meta-population of prairie dogs here at the state. Female 1: In spite of the fact that Louis and Clark have referred to them as dogs of the prairie, they aren’t dogs at all but members of the rodent family. They are also a main food source for the endangered black-footed ferret. In fact it was the huge reduction of prairie dog populations that led to the near extinction of black-footed ferrets in North America. Female 3: Yeah, it’s exciting to be a part of it, like I said to get them on the ground after being extricated for 50 years. It’s thrilling to be a part of, and also to interact with all the important partners that have been part of it. We’re on State Land right now so State Land Department has been a crucial partner in this and some of the organizations like Sierra Club and Sky Island Alliance that have helped us move some of the dirt around and prepare this site. It’s nice to get on the ground with the people who have made it happen. Female 1: This original 10-acre site located in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area near ___ seems like a perfect location to the black-tailed prairie dog to thrive as we welcome them back to Arizona. Male 2: But what I also have to recognize and commend is the adaptive process that the community here in ___ has taken in for the management of this grassland. They recognize that there was a component that is missing and willing enough to allow us the opportunity to restore these species. Looking towards the future I think is very important with the climate change and so forth, having a piece gone is something that… it probably isn’t good, and restoring that piece for these upcoming changes I think is very important.