I just finished reading Jim Robertson’s superb article “Prairie Dog
Nation,” illustrated with his fabulous photographs, in the July/August
2007 issue of The Animals Voice Magazine.
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to learn and expand my knowledge
with facts new to me. So I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am for
having my eyes opened to understand more about the plight of prairie
dogs.
The intelligence and the responsible way of life of the prairie dog
puts us humans to utter shame. I had no idea that healthy North American
grasslands are dependent on prairie dogs, as well as the fact that the
very survival of nine other animal species depends on this resourceful
creature.
Yet so many humans are intent on destroying prairie dogs for “fun,”
and in states like Wyoming prairie dogs can be killed at will, anytime,
with no limit. For other bloodthirsty “fun” seekers willing to “pay
upwards of $1,200 for a couple of days” of killing prairie dogs, there
are the advertised private ranches that provide victims.
I’ll end with this quotation from Jim Robertson’s article:
“Adding insult to injury, the latest threat to prairie dogs comes from
the pet trade. To satisfy captive animal collectors’ appetites for the
latest fad, prairie dogs are vacuumed out of their burrows, separated
from their relatives and shipped to markets as far off as Japan.”
Please visit:
www.animalsinthewild.org
www.rmad.org
www.prairiedogcoalition.org
www.fguardians.org
