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Black-footed ferrets Canadian release |
Why are black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) endangered?
The arrival of European settlers resulted in a nearly complete conversion of grasslands to agricultural fields. Today urban and sub-urban development is also threatening black-footed ferret habitat. Furthermore, the extensive persecution of prairie dogs (ferret's primary prey) by ranchers has dramatically reduced the food supply for ferrets. Ferrets are also very susceptible to a number of diseases including sylvatic plague, canine distemper, and human influenza.
As a result of these impacts, the once wide ranging black-footed ferret was thought to be globally extinct by 1979. Miraculously, in 1981 a rancher's dog caught a ferret in Meeteetse, Wyoming, leading biologists to the discovery of one small, remaining ferret population. After this population began to crash due to disease, the last 18 ferrets were brought into captivity from 1985-1987 to establish a breeding and recovery program with the hopes of reintroducing the species to its historic range in the wild.
Black-footed ferrets are currently listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In Canada, they are listed as 'Extirpated' under the Canadian Species at Risk Act and Saskatchewan's Wildlife Act making it illegal to kill, harm, harass, or capture black-footed ferrets or to destroy their residence or critical habitat (Government of Canada 2000; Government of Saskatchewan 1998, 1981).
Why should we save black-footed ferrets?
Black-footed ferrets once lived throughout the Great Plains and because of our actions have been reduced to a small number of protected areas where releases have occurred. They are a top predator in the grasslands and will assist in the restoration of a balanced and diverse grasslands ecosystem.
An international effort with tremendous public support has been undertaken to bring the ferret back from the brink of extinction. Continuing this effort will demonstrate how powerful a collaborative effort can be to actively conserve species at risk in Canada.
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Photo: © Thomas Breuer / WCS
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