LAWTON, Okla. (AP) — The city agreed to stop poisoning prairie dogs after outraged residents came to the rodents' defense.

The small, stout rodents have been burrowing through Elmer Thomas Park for decades, annoying city workers but entertaining onlookers.

Parks and Recreation Director Kim Shahan estimates the black-tailed prairie-dog population at the park has doubled to 8,000 since 2002. When the rodents started to encroach on neighboring Lawton High School athletic fields, the city decided to take drastic action.

City workers spent two nights last week dropping poisonous pellets into prairie-dog holes and then sealing them to reduce the population. "We found out about it the next day, and the people that loved the prairie dogs really started hollering," said resident Sherry Bly.

Angry protesters converged on the park Saturday, and the group began an online petition drive to "stop the poisoning of our Lawton Prairie Dog Population!"