We live-trapped and sampled black-tailed prairie dogs in Badlands National Park and Buffalo Gap National Grassland, South Dakota, 2017-2020. Sampling occurred on sites treated with 0.005% fipronil grain for flea control and plague mitigation, and non-treated sites functioning as experimental baselines. Prairie dogs were trapped, sexed, aged (adult or juvenile by size), weighed to the nearest 5 grams, and marked with ear tags for permanent identification. The length of each prairie dog's right hind foot was measured to the nearest millimeter, and the animal's body condition was indexed as a mass:foot ratio. We evaluated effects of fipronil grain on prairie dog body condition, monthly and annual survival, and reproduction.
The first data set (Fipronil 2017 Body Condition.csv) includes information from a before-after-control-impact (BACI) experiment on fipronil grain and prairie dog body condition in 2017. The second data set (Fipronil 2018 Body Condition.csv) includes similar information from a BACI experiment in 2018. The third data set (Fipronil 2018 Monthly Survival.csv) includes information from an experiment on fipronil grain and individual prairie dog monthly survival in 2018. The fourth data set (Fipronil 2018-2019 Annual Survival.csv) includes information from an experiment on fipronil grain and individual prairie dog annual survival from 2018-2019. The fifth data set (Fipronil 2020 Reproduction.csv) includes information from an experiment on fipronil grain and prairie dog reproduction in 2020. Funding and logistical support were provided by the National Park Service; US Fish and Wildlife Service; US Geological Survey; Prairie Wildlife Research; US Forest Service; Colorado State University; World Wildlife Fund; and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.