Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

I am a proud member of the Los Angeles Zoo, which is home to more than 1,100 animals from around the world, representing more than 250 different species, many of which are endangered in the wild. The zoo is also a Botanical Garden, featuring more than 800 different species of plants, which provide food and shelter for many native and migratory birds, and also provides browse for many residents of the zoo.

A Prairie Dog eating dinner. Prairie Dogs are considered a “keystone species” by ecologists. They are food for the black-footed ferret, swift fox, golden eagle, badger, coyote, bobcat, and ferruginous hawk. They provide housing for ground-dwelling birds, such as the mountain plover and burrowing owl. Grazing species like the bison, pronghorn, and mule deer prefer the lands the prairie dog occupies because their burrows have aerated and fertilized the native grasses and plants. As the prairie dog population has declined, so have the populations of many animals, including the black-footed ferret (critically endangered) and swift fox, which depend on them.<br />
<br />
The prairie dog population in North America has dropped by 98% since the turn of the 20th century, when it numbered approximately five billion. Even so, they are listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

85 / 137

A Prairie Dog eating dinner. Prairie Dogs are considered a “keystone species” by ecologists. They are food for the black-footed ferret, swift fox, golden eagle, badger, coyote, bobcat, and ferruginous hawk. They provide housing for ground-dwelling birds, such as the mountain plover and burrowing owl. Grazing species like the bison, pronghorn, and mule deer prefer the lands the prairie dog occupies because their burrows have aerated and fertilized the native grasses and plants. As the prairie dog population has declined, so have the populations of many animals, including the black-footed ferret (critically endangered) and swift fox, which depend on them.

The prairie dog population in North America has dropped by 98% since the turn of the 20th century, when it numbered approximately five billion. Even so, they are listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Prairie Dog

Terri Chapman Photography

Capturing the Splendor of Nature and Divine Light

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens