Once expected to be extinct by the year 2000, great efforts were made in the past few decades to resurrect and protect the Utah Prairie Dog.
Extremely social animals, they live in large colonies, building complex networks of tunnels underground. These tunnels can be very destructive to farmland, which is why they were poisoned and killed to the brink of extinction. They are still listed as a threatened species.
The Utah Prairie Dog has the smallest range of all prairie dog species and can be distinguished by it’s black ‘eyebrow’ marks and the white tip on its tail. They are only found in Southwestern Utah. This one was photographed at Bryce Canyon National Park.
So sad that such a small creature is in trouble. Why are they threatened?
Laurel recently posted..Old South Cemetery Photos at Twilight
Hey Laurel,
The main factor for their headed towards extinction was that for decades, starting in the 1920s, they were poisoned by farmers because of their destructive impact on farmland. Habitat loss, disease and natural actors took a toll as well. At least the current populations seems stable!