At RES, we believe the primary purpose of live relocations of prairie dogs should be to conserve, and/or enhance, the ecological function of the population of animals in need of relocation to maximize their value as a "keystone species." Unfortunately, however, it seems most live relocation efforts of prairie dogs these days are based solely on a "feel-good" rationale, with little to no consideration given to the animals once they are released.

For successful relocations - both from a prairie dog survival standpoint and from an economic standpoint, suitable habitat is key. Without suitable habitat, the relocation effort is likely to experience extremely low success, with many - if not most - prairie dogs leaving the site and/or perishing within a few days to weeks after release. Although the opinion of many members of the prairie dog activist lobby appears to be that prairie dog death after relocation is preferable to humane, respectful, euthanasia on site because "at least the animals were given a chance,” this thought process doesn't stand up to the scrutiny of the majority of the scientific community or the public.  To expose prairie dogs to extreme stress by handling them and moving them to an unsuitable site, where most environmental conditions militate against their survival, amounts to torture by slow death.  True, their demise at the new location would likely occur out of sight of humans, but to us and many others, it is considered extremely inhumane.