Colony of prairie dogs faces possible extermination for being too close to humans – WBTV

LAFAYETTE, Colo. (KMGH) – As cute as they may be, prairie dogs can be a nuisance. At one office park, they’re getting too close for comfort.
“I definitely think they need to be relocated. (They’re) just a little bit too close to office space,” said Dr. JJ Wellman, owner of Happy Paws Veterinary Hospital.
Her veterinary office is at an office park right next door to a bustling prairie dog colony.
“They don’t belong, you know, adjacent to office buildings but, thankfully, there is a place for them to go,” she said.
The roughly 150 prairie dogs have caused enough problems that there now are plans in place by the owners’ association to remove them.
But how Wellman’s been told that will be done doesn’t sit well with her.
“We’ve only reached out to one company. The one company quoted $15 to $30,000 to trap as many as they could and fumigate the rest,” she said.
Instead, she would like them all to be relocated, not just some, and find a way for a new colony to not pop up again.
She said she’s also concerned about how the fumigation would affect the animals in her practice just feet away.
“We love animals, and that’s why I’ve dedicated my life to this, so we’re all supposed to just watch as prairie dogs are being fumigated out back? Like, it’s just not right, ” Wellman said.
A proponent of the relocation and possible fumigation is the Boulder County Housing Authority. It owns the preschool nearby and the five lots around it where these prairie dogs currently reside.
In a statement, a spokesperson said, “BCHA supports relocating the maximum number of prairie dogs possible to help protect the preschool children and minimize contact with adults whose health may be at risk.”
Wellman said she just wishes it wasn’t at the cost of the prairie dogs’ lives.
“I’ve already been outvoted, but I’m hoping some media attention will help others advocate and for everyone to be a little bit more thoughtful about this decision,” she said.
There’s an association meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning, where businesses and the housing authority will learn more about the plans to remove the prairie dogs.
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