They’re here to test a new way to protect these Utah rodents from the Black Death. It's not.”The team is trying to capture prairie dogs in peanut butter-baited live traps to give them a check-up. “It's very devastating.”That matters because prairie dogs are considered a keystone species because of their place in the food chain. Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Centuries after devastating Medieval Europe, the Black Death is targeting Utah prairie dogs. After decades of extermination, habitat loss and disease outbreaks, Utah prairie dog numbers reached dire lows in the mid-20th century.