How can we help black footed ferrets?

Answer 1

The Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) is a small carnivorous North American mammal closely related to the Steppe Polecat of Russia, and a member of the diverse family Mustelidae which also includes weasels, mink, polecats, martens, otters, and badgers. It should not be confused with the domesticated ferret. The black footed ferrets are being saved through science and technology. They were at one time thought to be extinct in the wild and are being bred in various locations across the U S, in zoos and through genetic testing, the scientists hope to keep genetics from diversifying, saving sperm from males for future use, and to prevent any problems from inbreeding. Domestic ferrets have been used as surrogate mothers for black footed ferrets. Another problem is that ferrets are susceptible to human virus - sylvatic plague was introduced into the wild, transmitted by fleas, causing death in prairie dogs and ferrets. Scientist have been testing and vaccinated the ferrets to prevent this illness. The U S government policies on saving our environment and preventing species from becoming extinct, like the Endangered Species Act is constantly being manipulated and changed for the betterment of Oil companies, the last being by President Bush, and is a very controversial issue, changes made for more expansion of oil drilling, on shore and off shore, So the rich and greedy can get richer and to destroy and pollute our environment.

Black-footed ferrets survival depends on prairie dogs for food and shelter. In the early 1900's humans eradicated prairie dogs and destroyed prairie dog habitat. Some people view prairie dogs as a pest and continue to poison and eradicate them. Ranchers see the prairie dog as a competitor for the grass that cattle eat, so they have poisoned prairie dogs with harmful chemicals that sometimes killed other animals. Also, many prairie dog towns have been plowed over for crop fields or destroyed for human development. Diseases, like, have also reduced prairie dog populations. Scientists estimated we have lost as much as 98% of the prairie dog habitat that once existed. As human encroachment and other factors reduced the populations of prairie dogs, this also reduced ferret populations.

The Black-footed Ferret became extirpated in the wild in Canada in 1937, and were classified as endangered in the U.S. in 1967. The last known wild population was taken into captivity, a few years after its accidental discovery in Wyoming. In 1987, there were only 18 black-footed ferrets left in the world, making them one of the most endangered animals in the world. In order to save them, experts made the decision to bring them into captivity and start a successful breeding program.

To ensure the survival of Black footed ferrets in North American, they are being bred in captivity at Louisville Zoo, Toronto Zoo, The Phoenix Zoo, Smithsonian's Conservation & Research Center, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center and an outdoor facility in New Mexico. Furthermore they have frozen sperm, and domestic ferrets can be surrogates for breeding. A special program is ongoing to release and hopefully re-establish them in protected areas. Each year about 200 kits (young ferrets) from captivity are reintroduced into the wild at 11 release sites in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico. There are many agencies and organizations involved in black-footed ferret recovery, U. S. federal and state agencies in cooperation with private landowners, conservation groups, Native Americans, and North American zoos have been actively reintroducing ferrets back into the wild since 1991.

Canada is on the verge of a historic re-introduction involving captive-bred ferrets from the Toronto Zoo. Rancher Brad Dixon of the Diamond T Ranch is the only private citizen on the federal government's black-footed ferret recovery team. Diamond T Ranch is home to Canada's largest population of prairie dogs, second to the Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan, Canada that surrounds the ranch. * You can volunteer and participate in any state or federal land management planning efforts that affect native prairies and the species that depend on the prairie ecosystem. Write your state and federal representatives to let them know that you feel the prairies are worth preserving. Go to the website Blackfootedferret.org and learn how you can help!

* Akron Zoo, Akron, OH (call to verify first) * Binder Park Zoo, Battle Creek, MI * Bramble Park Zoo, Watertown, SD * Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, CO * Dakota Zoo, Bismarck, ND * Elmwood Park Zoo, Norristown, PA * Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, TX (call to verify first) * Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, NE (call to verify first) * Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, UT * Hutchinson Zoo, Hutchinson, KS * Lake Superior Zoo, Duluth, MN * Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City, KS * Louisville Zoological Gardens, Louisville, KY * National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. * North Eastern Wisconsin Zoo, Green Bay, WI * Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ * San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium, San Antonio, TX * San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido, CA * Texas Zoo, Victoria, TX * Toronto Zoo, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada * Zoo Montana, Billings, MT from other contributors:

The black footed ferret is protected under federal SARA. the endangered species act requires U S Federal Government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat. act works to ensure basic health of ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren They are being put in captivity so they can breed, then they put them back in the wild. You can save Black-footed ferrets by raising money to go to Black-footed ferret recovering programs == == Several colonies have been re-established in the wild, and a captive breeding program is still in operation, to release more ferrets into the wild.

Answer 2

A captive breeding program has been very successful, with nearly 2000 ferrets now in the wild.

Answer 3

Clean its habbitat.