Feed 'em to the....ferrets!

[Oak]

Boy, you've just got to love Boulder.

Boulder Prairie Dog Trapping Spurs Protests
Trapped Animals To Be Fed To Ferrets

POSTED: 1:31 p.m. MDT October 9, 2003

BOULDER, Colo. -- A plan to feed 21 captured prairie dogs to ferrets has led to protests by animal-rights activists and demands for an investigation.

The Dog Gone prairie dog relocation firm trapped the animals at a Boulder office park earlier this week.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife ticketed Dave Crawford, executive director of Rocky Mountain Animal Defense, with a misdemeanor count of interfering with a trapping operation after he allegedly confronted the firm's owner.

Gay Balfour, owner of Dog Gone, said Crawford yelled obscenities, spit at workers and didn't respond when he was asked to leave. Crawford said he reacted after Dog Gone workers turned a hose on him and tried to stop him from taking pictures of the trapping operation.

"Words were exchanged, but they started with obscenities first," Crawford said Wednesday. "These people have no right to lay a finger on Colorado's wildlife like this."

Division of Wildlife officials have concluded Dog Gone did not violate state rules.

Crawford and other animal advocates say some of the animals were maimed in the trapping operation. They have asked city officials to pursue animal cruelty charges against Balfour.

Acting City Attorney Jerry Gordon said it appears unlikely Balfour violated city codes.

Balfour said the prairie dogs he captures would otherwise probably be poisoned.

"Is it absolutely perfect? No. But it's the best I can do," Balfour said. "If there was any good place to release back into the wild, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Here's some info released today on the black-footed ferret recovery here. Ferrets released

Oak

 

[mtmiller]

What a bunch of idiots down there. I have worked with Gay Balfour while on ferret reintroductions in MT and he is hyper-sensitive to how the animals are handled (much more than I was anyway). I am sure he handled the protesters in a more courteous manner than I would have.

The ferrets didn't get first shot at this prairie dog after she took a chunk out my finger.

 

[1_pointer]

You got bit by a rat!!!!

Have you guys seen the video of the sucking machine they used to catch these suckers? It's a riot watching them fly into it and bounce off the pads.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

I'd like to see that video!!! So what happened to that finger-biting dog?

 

[Troy Jones]

Miller,

I never get tired of seeing that picture Miller. One of the coolest things I've ever seen is some video footage of a ferret taking a PD. I had no idea those ferrets were so aggressive, awsome.

Hey Miller, if those guys were bent out of shape because of a few PD's, they would love the shit out of me huh. I have done tens of thousands of acres of prairie dog work and have forgot more about killing the little rats than most could ever comprehend.

I would like to put things into prospective. I did some control work three years ago on the inlaws PD town of some 100 acres give or take. Did an excellent job with only a couple dogs surviving. Now three years later, the dog town is bigger than it was before. The black tailed prairie dog is a rodent and breeds as such.

I will tell you this much. If Colorado is worried about the prairie dog, I'm sure South Dakota would be more than happy to send them as many PD's as they want.