Prairie Dog Research Paper

The millions of American Bison thriving in the Great Plains were exterminated in under two decades. Five main factors contributed to this massive eradication. These factors are: technology, economics, demographics, changing boundaries and the role of government. Each of these led to the slaughter of the bison in the Great Plains and each work together in a very simple order. The most important factor that led to the extermination of the bison on the Great Plains was the role of government. It was the factor that preceded all of the other factors. If the government had not gotten the territory or enforced laws in the land to combat the killing of the bison, there would not have been such a depopulation of the bison. Each of the factors led directly and indirectly to the extermination of the American Bison which all started with the government’s role - both having land for the citizens to settle and kill bison and the government’s indifference to the killing of the

The devastation of soil, natural habitat and the destruction of mass farmlands all caused by the notorious feral hogs that has become nature’s neighbor that we have all come to despise. Today I would like to discuss how this resilient species has impacted the natural environments, and how their population is soaring in numbers; and last I would like to propose solutions to address the current issues were are facing and how to manage them.

According to a Collective Evolution article published on March 4, 2013, “260 million acres...of US forests have been clear-cut to create land for producing feed for livestock” (Ketler 1). In addition to this, National Geographic has released an article about deforestation stating that one of the worst outcomes of deforestation is the destruction of habitats for animals. The article goes on to state that deforestation is also a major cause of climate change and global warming. What is even worse is that this deforestation will likely not stop, as the world population swells and the demand for meats as well. So, this tragedy must be stopped now, or this could materialize extremely negative, complex issues for the environment and the population of the

“Many plant species have been affected by this, due to deer only eating specific species of plants, some have become overpopulated due to the fact that they are not being controlled by the wildlife in the woods.”

Vet Ranch is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless animals with medical conditions not only get better, but to find loving forever homes. They do most of their work on their Youtube channel - Vet Ranch. The Youtube channel was started in 2014 by Dr. Matt Carriker after posting a video of the progress of a dog that was hit and left by a car. Dr. Matt is a vet in San Antonio, Texas who created the website to make it easier for viewers that wanted to donate to help save animals. Although it started out with just Dr. Matt, Vet Ranch is now made up of four amazing veterinarians that include, Dr. Karri. Dr. Wendy, and Dr. Dave who help save animals lives. Vet Ranch has an effective non-profit organization website

-Reintroduction of a top predator lowered the number of over grazing herbivores, leaving a more stable amount of food for many species of herbivores.

The Mexican gray wolf is a large predator that, in the past, preyed on livestock, which led to their near extinction by humans because they were tired of the wolves eating their livestock, they were a danger to people, and there were land use conflicts. However, the decline in the Mexican wolf lead to an overabundance of plant life which had a direct effect on other wildlife. There are many challenges involved with re-introducing wolves to other stakeholders such as to academics, mangers, ranchers, or landowners such as the reasons listed above which led to their near extinction. It is not as simple as taking the Mexican wolf from where they are now and placing them in different areas in Arizona, New Mexico, the US, and across the border in Sonora, Mexico. This is a very large area of land that policies would have to cover. The best ways to illustrate that the re-introduction of the wolves in the many expected areas is not as easy as it may seem are best described by nature culture dichotomy, social-ecological systems, and in the Anthropocene humans are seen as agents of change.

The prairie dog is popularly characterized as being a nuisance by farmers and ranchers. This is mainly due to the fact that they can significantly reduce stands of grass in livestock pastures. Some stockmen claim that the removal of prairie dogs has had some direct association with the undesirable spread of brush. This has had detrimental effects on the livestock industry which far outweighs the damage prairie dogs might do. (San Francisco Zoo)

The area of Yellowstone National Park has a long history of inhabitants, even before it became the nation’s first national park. In the area now known as Yellowstone National Park, wolves were once very prominent. However due to westward expansion in the 1800s, agriculture began to increase. This led to the wolves that once thrived in this area to being practically completely removed. The increase in agriculture in this region led to a lot of the wolves’ prey becoming reduced or eliminated. Since the wolves had a decrease in prey, the wolves began to prey on domestic animals, which then resulted in humans eliminating the wolves almost completely. By the 1930s the wolf was eliminated from the area. This was before people had an understanding of how ecosystems work and the interrelation of species. Now that the wolves were gone, elk then became overpopulated. A lot of the vegetation began to disappear as well due to the overgrazing of the elk. However after about a 70-year absence, in 1995 the wolves were carefully brought back to Yellowstone. When they brought the wolves back to the park, there was not just an effect on one species or one area but rather they affected the entire ecosystem of the area. I will discuss their effects on areas such elk, beaver colonies, scavengers, aspen trees, willow trees and cottonwood trees.

In recent centuries, the removal of wolves has allowed smaller predators to dramatically increase in number and range, thereby increasing exploitation of their prey. Although this is of value to the ecosystem, the removal of Gray wolves has caused harm than benefit. Gray wolves have been replaced by the expandation of the coyote population, which has caused a large community of small predators such as foxes to prey on smaller mammals that are responsible for infecting ticks with Lyme disease. The increase of these smaller mammals, is a likely cause of the increase in a range of Lyme disease, (Levi et al. 2012).

They have traditionally been viewed as competitors with cattle for rangeland resources, so eradication programs have reduced populations to less than two percent of those several decades ago (Whicker and Detling 1988). The Colorado Parks and Wildlife have now deemed this keystone species as a species of concern due to sylvatic plague, direct loss of habitat to urban/suburban development, habitat fragmentation, conversion of habitat to agricultural uses, systematic poisoning, recreational shooting, and inadequate regulatory mechanisms. Our biggest concerns are focused on habitat loss and fragmentation and systematic poisoning and how they connect to Colorado’s growth in population.

I finally got an indoor dog. I got a Yorkshire Terrier a day before my Birthday. The dog I got is a male and when I got him he was about 4 months old. He has a black, grey, and tan coat. Yorkies (shorter way of saying Yorkshire Terrier) usually tend not to be kids friendly but my dog is a friendly dog. He loves people and he is very protective of me and my family. Yorkies also tend to bark a lot and bite. My dog barks at strangers he can’t see such as people in the hallway. He never bites but most dogs play bite (which doesn’t even hurt) ,he licks me afterwards as a way of saying sorry if he hurt me.

The Black Tailed Prairie Dog is common to the Great Plains, all the way from Canada to the northern parts of Mexico. The loss of prairie throughout the years has led to a loss in numbers, but they still are around in the Great Plains. The prairie dog lives in areas with short grassland, and they burrow into holes. They dig the holes themselves and leave a big pile of dirt that surrounds their hole. The pile of dirt protects the hole from flooding, and helps them keep a lookout for predators. Their holes range from three to ten feet deep, and about ten feet wide depending on the prairie dog. They make nesting chambers throughout their dens and have a separate spot for the bathroom (Nature Works 1). Prairie dogs have a great burrow system with

This is a pic collage that I made of my puppy Dutch. These are all pictures of my three year old dog being himself. His full name is Dutch Netherland Dahlin and he is my violin for several reasons. One of the reasons that Dutchie is my violin is that he is always happy and always loves you. He never gets mad, and hardly ever gets sad. He is a great companion and even though he doesn't talk, he is really good at listening to me when I just need to vent about something. Yes, he can be frustrating especially when he barks at his own reflection, but he does not do it to be annoying, he's just being curious.

One of the most meaningful acts a breeder can do is provide their puppies with the best start in life, but it doesn't stop there. As a responsible breeder, your dedication surrounds helping prospective puppy owners raise happy and healthy dogs. As a dog lover, connecting caring, responsible individuals and families with their forever pet is your passion. By encouraging and endorsing products that promote the wholesome development of dogs, particularly during the first year of life, breeders can be a part of ensuring a long and active life for the pups. Breeders hold themselves and their clients to the highest standards and the goal is improving the life of each puppy.