Thunder Basin Prairie Dog Poisoning Scheme a Major Loss for Wildlife

Biodiversity Conservation Alliance *Center for Native Ecosystems *
Forest Guardians

LARAMIE – Thunder Basin National Grassland officials have proposed a plan amendment that would expand prairie dog poisoning from a few restricted cases to the entire Thunder Basin National Grassland, including areas set aside for re-introduction of the Endangered black-footed ferret. A proposed amendment of the Thunder Basin National Grassland Plan that would expand prairie dog poisoning from a few restricted cases where they encroach on cemeteries or structures to the entire National Grassland would be a major loss for prairie dogs and other wildlife, conservation groups cautioned today.

“The Forest Service has no excuse for expanding the deliberate poisoning of a designated Sensitive Species on public lands, particularly one like the prairie dog which is critical for the survival of so many rare species of native wildlife,” said Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “The proposed Thunder Basin plan amendment will create major problems for other native wildlife, not just the prairie dog.”

In the original Thunder Basin land-use plan, prairie dog poisoning was only permitted when prairie dogs expanded their burrow systems into cemeteries or the immediate environs of houses. The proposed poisoning amendment would allow prairie dog poisoning throughout the National Grassland, including a designated Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Area, where reintroductions are being planned. The black-footed ferret is considered the most endangered mammal in North America, and relies on prairie dogs for food and their burrows for shelter. Thunder Basin is one of only a handful of sites across the continent with large, healthy prairie dog populations that could support ferrets now.

“The black-tailed prairie dog has been reduced to less than 1 percent of their historic range,” said Erin Robertson, Senior Staff Biologist with Center for Native Ecosystems. “This species is the key to the prairie ecosystem, because it supports other rare wildlife like burrowing owls, swift foxes, ferruginous hawks, and black-footed ferrets.”

The poisoning plan is being promoted by a group of Thunder Basin ranchers. Some of the ranchers are committing to manage their private ranches in harmony with prairie dogs, while others seek license to poison prairie dogs on public lands to reduce competition with domestic livestock and prevent them from moving onto neighboring ranch lands.

“It’s great that some of the ranchers in the Thunder Basin are showing a strong stewardship ethic by committing to coexist with healthy prairie dog populations,” said Molvar. “But others aren’t, and the overall trend to expand poisoning to the entire National Grassland, even into the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Area, and to shrink the area where prairie dogs are protected from shooting, is a major mistake from an ecological standpoint.”

The poisoning plan would also reduce the area protected from prairie dog shooting, which was created to promote ferret restoration. At the same time, new research from the University of Wyoming has revealed that prairie dog shooting not only can directly kill thousands of animals a day, but also depresses the survival and reproduction for survivors after the shooting ceases. In addition, shooting generates hundreds or even thousands of lead-laced carcasses, each of which can contain enough lead to kill nestling birds of prey.

“With the new science demonstrating severe impacts of recreational shooting on both prairie dogs and the broader ecosystem, the Forest Service should be talking about reducing this wasteful practice, not expanding it,” added Robertson.

Prairie dogs are typically poisoned with zinc phosphide, a powder that causes a slow death by internal hemorrhaging over the course of 3 days.

“These poisons are a cruel and inhumane way to achieve objectives, particularly when the same prairie dogs could be captured and relocated from boundary areas to places farther from private lands where prairie dog population increases are needed,” said Lauren McCain of Forest Guardians. “Why should the Forest Service get into the business of poisoning our native wildlife in the first place?”

The Forest Service’s Douglas Ranger District is taking public comments on the proposed poisoning plan (to be sent via email to comments-rocky-mountain-medicine-bow-routt-douglas-thunder-basin@fs.fed.us) through April 30th.

Electronic versions of the two studies on the impacts of prairie dog shooting, as well as photos of prairie dogs killed by poisoning or shooting, are available on request.