SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prairie dogs are unpopular in some places, to the point that the burrowing rodents are considered target practice for ranchers and farmers.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe has spent $559,000 in the past 12 years to relocate prairie dogs from the northern New Mexico city to a federal conservation area.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the critters are flushed from their dens with a mild soapy solution and then given a bath. The city then fattens up the prairie dogs before they're sent on their way.