Oklahoma prairie dogs flushed to a new home

October 5, 1997
Web posted at: 9:01 p.m. EDT (0101 GMT)

LAWTON, Oklahoma (CNN) -- At one park in Lawton, Oklahoma, there was a little problem with prairie dogs -- namely, there were just too dang many of the furry little creatures burrowing tunnels and running amok.

But after debating whether to just kill the critters, the folks in Lawton decided to take something of a kinder, gentler approach. They turned their hoses on the dogs, putting water down into their burrows and forcing them to the surface.

Then, the prairie dogs, a bit wet and disheveled but otherwise appearing to be OK, were plopped in a cage for the trip to their new home -- a patch of ground near Fort Worth, Texas, where the owner doesn't mind if they burrow to their heart's content.

About 60 prairie dogs were caught and relocated Thursday. Their buddies living in other parts of the park looked up in nervous curiosity as the relocation operation commenced.

And with good reason. Plans are afoot next week to evict another batch of dogs from their Lawton abodes and send them on to Texas.

Related stories:

• There's more to animal communication than meets the ear - September 11, 1997
• What's that giant sucking sound on prairie? - December 16, 1996

Related sites:

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• Nebraska Wildlife - Prairie Dogs

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