Marked Prairie Dog

The chin of an anaesthetized prairie dog in Wind Cave National Park is marked before the animal is released back into the wild.

Over 30 organizations and agencies are testing a USGS-developed oral vaccine to prevent the spread of plague in prairie dogs. If successful, the sylvatic plague vaccine could help protect endangered black-footed ferrets in the western U.S. because the ferrets rely on prairie dogs for food.

A veterinarian tags each trapped prairie dog and takes hair, whisker, and blood samples before scientists release the animals. Chin markings help scientists determine whether certain trapped prairie dogs had been previously tested. If markings are present on a trapped animal, that animal is immediately released without further testing.