Black-tailed prairie dogs are keystone species whose complex social lives, vulnerability to plague, and ongoing persecution make them a compelling case study in wild animal welfare.
Prairie dogs experience significant welfare challenges from both disease and persecution. Plague kills entire colonies with terrifying speed - individuals watching their family members die around them in days. Poisoning campaigns on ranchlands cause a slower, agonizing death and disrupt the complex social bonds within colonies. Prairie dogs have demonstrably rich social lives including greeting rituals, territorial calls, and cooperative alarm behaviors; disruption of their colonies through killing programs causes fear, social breakdown, and the death of animals that may experience significant distress.