Will human beings ever stop their relentless, all-consuming desire to decimate and control other species? The prairie dogs, a keystone species that is vital to the soil health of prairies, and to the symbiotic relationship they have with rabbits, snakes, and burrowing owls, which share their burrows, are forever under attack. All sorts of means have been devised to eradicate these rodents.
A recent outbreak of the plague among prairie dog populations incited another bout of ire from ranchers and city dwellers, alike. Those who feel that their concert stadiums, camping grounds, and baseball diamonds are of more importance than the well-being of another species will stop at nothing to see the demise of these animals.
Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves why the plague has run amok among these animals? They have been pushed further and further away from areas that they once inhabited, leaving them no choice but to dig their tunnels within inches of city streets, exposing them to the danger of being run over, not to mention the loud traffic noise imposed on their tiny ears and car fumes that they are forced to breathe. As they become more and more crowded within smaller and smaller areas, is it any wonder that disease would run rampant among them?
The newest idea that someone has come up with, is to give them a dangerous drug that will render them sterile by interfering with their hormone production. This, they believe, will reduce their populations. Apparently, this same method has worked well to control populations of wild horses. But, in interfering with their natural, physical processes, do we not risk creating a bigger problem? Look at the problems we have created by introducing foreign plant species to supposedly correct our previous mistakes. In thinking that we know more than Mother Nature herself, we keep stacking problems on top of problems on top of problems.
These problems cannot be approached from an analytical, unfeeling, need to control. We must delve deep into our hearts and seek answers from a higher consciousness. This problem is not about the prairie dog. This problem is about human greed and selfishness.
