Tonie E. Rocke Pete Gober Bill E. Van Pelt Michael W. Miller Daniel W. Tripp Rachel C. Abbott David L. Bergman Terry B. Johnson 2014 <p>The Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team Executive Committee is conducting a project to develop,<br />and (hopefully) eventually implement, a plague vaccination program for prairie dogs. The project is a component of the Western<br />Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Grasslands Conservation Initiative. An effective, field-worthy vaccine against plague<br />could be the biggest breakthrough in recovery efforts for the black-footed ferret since the 1981 rediscovery of wild ferrets near<br />Meeteetse, Wyoming. If proven efficacious, the vaccine could help agencies and stakeholder cooperators maintain specific<br />populations of prairie dogs at robust levels, thus enhancing range-wide conservation of those species, as well recovery of the ferret,<br />while enabling control of other prairie dog populations to resolve site-specific agricultural and human health concerns. The results<br />of laboratory and field-testing in the early stages of developing this vaccine are preliminary but mostly encouraging. A plan for<br />broad-scale application is being developed for possible use when testing has been completed and (if warranted) the vaccine is<br />registered for governmental use. An overview of all aspects of the project is discussed.</p> application/pdf en University of California, Davis Managing prairie dogs by managing plague: a vaccine for the future? text