PUEBLO COUNTY — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is fighting the plague in a rather unique way, according to a Facebook post from the agency.
The plague still exists in Colorado and is commonly carried by prairie dogs and other small mammals. On Thursday a team of six biologists with CPW fanned out across 850 acres of Gary and Georgia Walker's cattle ranch in Pueblo County to distribute peanut butter pellets laced with plague vaccine.
Most walked for miles, while a couple rode ATVs, following precise routes, the CPW Facebook post said. They dropped about 50 pellets per acre. The pellets resemble blueberries and are manufactured in a CPW lab in Fort Collins.
The vaccine pellets are meant to be eaten by black-tailed prairie dogs and other small mammals.
After two days on the Walker Ranch, the team is headed for Holly in eastern Colorado to spread more vaccine.
CPW said the effort is necessary because Prairie dogs are important to our ecosystem. They create habitat for other species, such as endangered black-footed ferrets and burrowing owls. They are critical to the diets of many animals, including ferrets, raptors, coyotes, bobcats, and rattlesnakes, according to the CPW post.
Plague is an infectious disease that affects rodents, certain other animals, and humans. It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. These bacteria are found in many areas of the world, including the United States.
If left untreated, the disease can be deadly.
