Oakley, Kansas - Prairie Dog Town

Oakley, Kansas - Prairie Dog Town

Billboards compel you to pull off and gaze at the World's Largest Prairie Dog -- and other freaks. Roadsideamerica.com Report...

Oakley, Kansas - Prairie Dog Town

This is not a good place. Don't get me wrong, I think it's funny that the world's largest prairie dog is a statue. Understand, I'm a big fan of kitsch who has paid to see a "man eating chicken" on many occasions (Though I do think the World Largest Prairie Dog's shield could have been more interesting -- PT Barnum would be scandalized by the simple plywood wall). I don't even so much mind the freak-show aspect of the place. Given the size of corporate farming, there are probably many deformed animals born each year, and most are probably euthanized, or ground up and used for feed. At least the "freaks" at Prairie Dog Town are allowed to walk about and graze a bit -- they probably have more space than the majority of cattle being raised for beef.

What I don't like about the place are the non-domesticated animals, presumably caught in the wild, which are kept in small, unadorned pens. I saw a badger so distressed that it constantly ran from one end of his pen to the other, stopping only to claw frantically at the wire cage every few minutes.

I'm also convinced that many of the "live" rattlesnakes on display are actually dead, but have been left in the pen to create the impression that there is a large den on display. [TR, 09/02/2009]

Oakley, Kansas - Prairie Dog Town

What a hoot! I even bought a diamond back rattlesnake skin hat. I would count the owner as one of the best attraction there...he is lively, entertaining and quite the showman. [Carla Simmons, 07/24/2007]

Oakley, Kansas - Prairie Dog Town

If you are an animal lover, please do NOT visit this so-called attraction. You will be extremely saddened by the horrible conditions the animals live in. My husband and I were so depressed by the time we walked out of there. The worst was a pack of 7-9 kit foxes crammed into a cage that would only be appropriate for 1 at the most. There is nothing educational about the prairie dogs or any of the other animals. This is simply exploitation of animals for profit. [Dawn Bergman, 05/30/2007]

Oakley, Kansas - Prairie Dog Town

"I recently went to Prairie Dog Town on a drive across the country and I could have sworn that there was a 6-legged cow and a 5-legged cow. The one with 6 legs had two under formed (?) legs growing from its neck. There are goats that roam around begging for the hamster food you buy at the front. A goat ripped a bag away from my friend and another started chewing on my T-shirt. My car also smelled like shit all the way to TN because I stepped in it right around there." [Alex Goswami, 10/19/1996]