A history of poisoning campaigns and habitat loss has driven the black-
tailed prairie dog from more than 99% of its historical range. As a result, conservation and animal-protection organizations are calling on the federal government to list the black-tailed prairie dog as "threatened" under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA), yet individual states continue to draw up "management" plans that treat the animals as if they were little more than pests.
After receiving petitions from conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) determined in February 2000 that the black-tailed prairie dog warranted listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (two of the other five species of prairie dogs found in North America, the Utah prairie dog and the Mexican prairie dog, are listed as threatened and endangered, respectively). But then the FWS refused, claiming its resources were needed to address higher priority ESA actions. The black-tailed prairie dog has been assigned a listing priority number of eight (out of 12, with one being the highest priority)—a low priority that doesn't reflect the many threats still faced by the species.
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