"How Many?"

According to Desert USA, the quaint little Prarie Dog is packing some pretty amazing superlatives and dramatic traits in that little ball of fluff.

1. The Website says the cute little puppy has developed the MOST sophisticated of natural languages. It has a complex system of "Barks" seperated into different bark routines to warn of the approach of specific enemies. (i.e., 2 short high pitched yips, a two second pause, and then three bass yips, might mean a coyote has come to town.  Probably not?  But maybe.)  

2. Don't get the idea that you might be able to run one down. In addition to their warning system they can run from you at 35 miles per hour. (By my own calculation the Prarie Dog would get the Bronze Medal in any land sprint, behind the Cheetah and the Pronghorn Antelope.)

3. Something else you may not know about the Prarie Dog? It is the precursor to the dreaded "urban sprawl" developer.  According to Desert USA some cowboy zoologists in the year 1900? They identified a Texas Prarie Dog Town that measured?  Get ready! ONE HUNDRED (100) MILES by TWO HUNDRED FIFTY (250) MILES. And how many prarie dogs lived in this little Villa? Get Ready! Desert USA says FOUR HUNDRED MILLION (400,000,000) PRARIE DOGS!

I bring all this up?  Well because at the south end of this highway they're building in our flower bed?  There you will find a pretty good sized Prarie Dog Colony that I'm thinking not very many folks are aware exists.  We find it because we read a sign that says an existing connector road to the new highway?  It's going to be shut down for a year? So for nostalgia reasons we rush there to take some pictures.

[THIS CAMERA IS GOING TO GET ME IN SOME TROUBLE I THINK.]

So I'm taking some pictures of these cute little barking fellas poppng in and out of their holes?

Well those guys driving those Bulldozers I've been writing about? They start giving me some dirty looks.  Then it hits me.  One reason it's going to be nice to have that road closed?  I'm thinkin' these Bullydozer drivers (no proof, but lots of precedence) have orders to massacre these rodents and level their BURG.

So here's the deal?  That's legal in this state and several others if it is the decision of the landowner. But here is what quite often happens?

SOMEBODY with a camera shows up and takes some pictures?  Some ecologically senstive folks see them? And they cry foul?

The Friends of Prarie Dogs have learned they can't stop the process, but they can yell loud enough to force consideration of moving them all to a NEW PRARIE DOG TOWN?

There are some people getting rich in America driving around in these vacuum trucks that suck the puppies out of their holes?  [The insides of the trucks are padded so the little guys won't get hurt.] And then depositing them elsewhere?

Now I don't know if anybody wants to know this? The only way you can get permission to haul the 'fellas' from one place to the next?  Is if you get the permission of the NEW landowner. 

Now what kind of landowner do you think might be interested in a prarie dog colony?  Would it be one that needs sustenance for eagles, hawks, coyotes, weasels, owls, and ferrets.  Just asking?

Well, what ever your posture? I suppose you'd like to know the exact location of this particular PRARIE DOG colony?

HEH! HEH! HEH!

RUN PRARIE DOGS RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! GO FOR THE GOLD!  Well maybe the SILVER.