Prairie dogs are keystone species of North American grassland ecosystems whose welfare is linked to the health of hundreds of other species.
Prairie dog welfare is inseparably linked to grassland ecosystem health. As a keystone species, their welfare directly affects the welfare of dozens of other species that depend on them. Prairie dogs are highly social, living in family groups within towns that may contain thousands of individuals - they display sophisticated alarm call systems, greeting behaviors and social bonds. Mass die-offs from plague cause obvious acute suffering as well as cascading welfare impacts on predator species like ferrets and hawks that lose food sources. The poisoning campaigns historically used to control prairie dogs caused immense suffering. Conservation approaches using plague vaccine and habitat protection better align with both prairie dog welfare and ecosystem health.