The people and community of Larimer County in Colorado were promised a new county office building to replace a smaller one that was built in the 1960s. The new facility is scheduled to sit at Denver Avenue and First Street which is in the heart of Loveland. However, in the name of progress, the county feels that the large population of Prairie Dogs is a problem and their solution is to kill them.
The decision of the Larimer County Commissioners to kill prairie dogs
To keep the promise to voters regarding the new county office building, the Larimer County Commissioners decided that before breaking ground, they need to euthanize 250 prairie dogs. Spokesman Tom Donnelly says that they plan to trap the animals and kill them humanely. And the plan to do so needs to be completed within the next few weeks before the animals begin to mate.
The community and activists speak out against euthanizing the prairie dogs
A group known as the Prairie Dog Coalition was contacted to help the animals in the Larimer County area.
Ms. Noel Guersey with the coalition states that there are nine other animal species dependent upon the prairie dogs for survival. The county apparently has ample suitable habitat for the prairie dogs, but the officials are unwilling to relocate the colony. The commission does not agree. They claim that relocating the animals is complicated since each colony needs its own territory or they may fight. The coalition feels there are options to resolve that issue within the county.
Laws exist that ban the transport of the animals across county lines. Currently, there is a plan to donate the prairie dogs to a program that rehabilitates animals like hawks and owls. But this would occur after all the rodents are euthanized.
Ms. Guersey of the Prairie Dog Coalition states that they would have liked to see the commissioners show responsible stewardship of wildlife and the land. It is fearful that there is no other quick solution and Donnelly says they are still open to exploring new homes for the prairie dogs over the next several weeks, hoping that euthanizing them will not be an option.