Most people who come to the Zoo know that we have prairie dogs.   They have always been popular especially with the children who have been able to get up close and personal with these chubby little rodents by climbing under their exhibit and popping up through Plexiglas observation tubes.  

The black-tailed prairie dog at the Zoo is a keystone species meaning that it plays a very important role in helping the surrounding natural world near prairie dog towns in the wild to stay healthy.  The diversity of life in the area benefits immensely as burrows provide habitat for many other species including cottontail rabbits, small rodents, snakes, lizards, Meadowlarks, Grasshopper Sparrows and other birds. Nearly 200 species of wildlife have been observed in or near prairie dog towns!

Unfortunately prairie dogs in North America have declined by 95%. Two species, the Mexican prairie dog and the Utah prairie dog are endangered, yet prairie dogs are still being poisoned and colonies destroyed. Sometime within the past 50 years they were eradicated from El Paso County. Is there anyway we can change that and bring them back? Perhaps, over the past few months I have talked to a number of people in El Paso who are interested in helping to make that happen.  

Today there are some small black-tailed prairie dog towns near the outskirts of the county in parts of West Texas and Southern New Mexico. According to recent reports on iNaturalist prairie dogs may still survive on private lands near Cornudas, Texas along the highway to Carlsbad Caverns.   About five years ago I was able to document prairie dogs surviving in very small numbers on Otero Mesa in New Mexico about twenty miles north of Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site.  There are also other areas in West Texas where they are found on private ranches including an area protected by the Nature Conservancy north of Marathon, Texas.  Unfortunately it is very difficult to find prairie dogs near El Paso so any effort to help bring them back would be a big plus for our community and could help boost ecotourism. 

There was a time when you could see prairie dogs within the city limits of El Paso.  Now that most of the area has been developed are there any places with good habitat where they could be reintroduced?    To help answer that question I am in touch with several researchers who have conducted studies on prairie dog restoration efforts at the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. El Paso’s Urban Biologist working for Texas Parks and Wildlife is also interested in helping as well are others who are involved in habitat restoration and conservation efforts in our area. 

The current vision for the project is to identify an area of at least 15 acres with potential prairie dog habitat and then to seek funding to relocate prairie dogs from other areas of Texas.    If we are successful we will be able to help bring back an important part of our natural heritage while enhancing our quality of life and El Paso’s natural biodiversity. 

If you would like to help feel free to contact me using our contact form.

Rick LoBello
Education Curator

Photos

Cover – Josh More, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Top – Smithsonian Zoo Washington DC, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Middle – Ken Lund, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Bottom – US Fish and Wildlife Service, , Wikimedia Creative Commons