Condolences to those with lost, sick, or angeled Conniving Critters...
 
Just a clarification to those that may have misunderstood the messages
about the prairie dogs being moved from Colorado to Arizona as ferret food.
They aren't killing the prairie dogs to feed the ferrets.  They are also
not going to tie them out on the prairie and call the ferrets over to eat
them for lunch.  The prairie dogs will be released in a limited area, where
they can establish their colonies and start a new home.  The fact that
Black-Footed Ferret tend to consider prairie dogs as "good eatin'" critters
just happens to be a benefit to the BFFs in the area.  However, as happens
most of the time in nature in an area where one critter is the natural prey
of another, the prairie dog population will most likely not be wiped out by
the ferrets.  Rather, a balance is usually struck between the two sets of
animals, where the actions of the Black-Footed Ferrets will more than
likely tend to limit the prairie dogs' growth, while maintaining a certain
population level among them.
 
Basically, this all means that the prairie dogs, while they *are* the
primary prey of Black-Footed Ferrets, will still be able to maintain a
presence on the plains and deserts of Arizona.  At the same time, the
Black-Footed Ferret will have a local, natural, food source that should
allow them to become self-sufficient and to establish a wild population
in the area.
 
DISCLAIMER:  This message was not intended for anyone that already knew
this stuff.
 
Todd and the Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns!
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3453]