Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Jonathan Proctor, Rockies and Plains Representative 

What’s the Deal with Ferrets?

Black-footed ferrets rely on large prairie dog colonies for food and shelter.

Black-footed ferrets are small predators that live only in large prairie dog colonies across the central and western grasslands of North America. They live in prairie dog burrows and prairie dogs make up more than 90 percent of their diet. They are one of only three ferret species in the world and the only one native to North America. They are often confused with domestic ferrets, which appear similar but are actually a different species originally from Europe.

Black-footed ferrets numbered in the tens of thousands before the 1800s, but were brought to the brink of extinction due to widespread human destruction of their prairie-dog-colony habitat and the arrival of exotic diseases including sylvatic plague in the 1900s. Back then, before the protections of the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. government viewed prairie dogs as a pest, and actually paid for the widespread poisoning of prairie dog colonies that brought the black-footed ferret to the brink of extinction.

The ESA Saves the Day
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is our nation’s landmark wildlife conservation law. It was signed into law in 1973. So few black-footed ferrets remained at that time that they were one of the original species protected under the new law. But they were already too far gone in the wild, and when the last known black-footed ferret died in captivity in 1979 they were declared extinct.

Then, on September 26, 1981, a ranch dog named Shep caught a black-footed ferret in Meeteetse, Wyoming, leading to the discovery of a single remaining population. This time, the protections of the ESA led to a flurry of activity to save this species from a “second” extinction. Dedicated conservationists from federal, state and private agencies jumped on the opportunity to help the species survive and recover.

This last population was mapped, studied and monitored. But before long, disease struck. The few remainders were captured. By 1986, only 18 black-footed ferrets were alive, all in captivity. Thus began a 25-year-and-counting captive breeding program. A federal recovery plan was drafted in 1988, which guided plans to increase the captive population and then restore the species to the wild.

Defenders’ Jonathan Proctor releases a black-footed ferret in Conata Basin, South Dakota (Credit: Steve Forrest)

Since the first reintroduction into Wyoming’s Shirley Basin in 1991, black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced in 19 locations in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico, the Mexican state of Chihuahua and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that about 750 ferrets now live in 17 of these locations (half of the population goal outlined in the 1988 Black-footed Ferret Recovery Plan) and another 350 or so in captive breeding facilities. Four locations have surpassed the required minimum of 30 breeding adults.  At least six more must reach this goal. For a species once at the very brink of extinction, an amazingly full recovery of this species is within our grasp.

It is difficult to speculate how much of this work would have been done without the ESA, but it is likely that the black-footed ferret would be extinct today without the level of commitment and funding that resulted from this law. Federal oversight under the authority of the ESA has led to the collaboration of dozens of federal, state and tribal agencies, in cooperation with private landowners, conservation groups including Defenders of Wildlife, and the North American zoo community. A national black-footed ferret conservation center has produced thousands of black-footed ferrets for reintroduction.

As an official member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service black-footed ferret recovery implementation team, Defenders is assisting the effort to reintroduce black-footed ferrets and protect them in their native habitat. Because prairie dogs are so important to black-footed ferrets, we are working to restore prairie dogs to new sites such as Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming and prevent the destruction of prairie dog colonies in existing black-footed ferret areas like Conata Basin in South Dakota.

We’re also helping a group of ranchers in Kansas who are fighting to save prairie dogs and their newly reintroduced ferret population from a century-old state law requiring the death of all prairie dogs. And we’re working on solutions to help reduce conflict with neighbors of these sites who do not want prairie dog colonies expanding onto their properties. By installing portable electric fences to keep cattle out of 100 foot “buffer zones” along property boundaries, the grass can grow tall enough to discourage prairie dogs from colonizing there —  prairie dogs avoid tall grass due to threats from predators.

Looking Forward
Though we have a long way to go to full black-footed ferret recovery, by nearly all measurements the ferret’s reintroduction to the wild has been a stunning accomplishment. Our challenge now is to restore more large colonies of prairie dogs and reintroduce more ferrets so that we can finish the job of recovering one of the most endangered mammals on the continent. Ferrets have been given a second chance. Now it’s our job to make sure their rediscovery was not in vain.

Want to see a black-footed ferret in action? Check out this neat video of one in the wild.

“Coast to Coast” is a summer blog series highlighting some of America’s most imperiled wildlife. By using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s new state-by-state endangered species map, we will tell stories about native plants and animals in unique landscapes where Defenders will be focusing its conservation efforts in coming years.

One of the world’s most endangered animals is also arguably one of the world’s most adorable. With limbs dipped in black and a mask like a bandit, the black-footed ferret looks like a stretched-out panda bear. But don’t be deceived by its cuddly appearance. This critter is a voracious nocturnal carnivore that preys almost exclusively on prairie dogs.

The ferret’s habitat once extended across the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico. Unfortunately disease, habitat destruction and elimination of their primary food source have taken a toll on this small predator. Today, less than five percent of the ferret’s original prairie dog colony habitat remains. As people moved westward, the prairie disappeared, and so did the ferret’s food source. Prairie dogs became the target of widespread eradication efforts.  Considered vermin because they clipped the grass short on their colonies, ranchers went to great lengths to rid their newly acquired land of prairie dogs. Some states, such as Kansas, passed laws that required the killing of all prairie dogs. Piles of poisoned prairie dogs can be seen in photos from the turn of the last century. With no food and nowhere to go, the black-footed ferret was on the brink of extinction. The species became so rare that by 1974 no known ferrets remained in the wild. When the last captive black-footed ferret died in 1979, the species was presumed to be extinct.

Then in 1981 one lucky dog stumbled upon a ferret in Wyoming. Watch the following video to find out about the incredible find back in 1981.

Researchers discovered that a few dozen ferrets lived in the area and continued to monitor the population for a few years. Then tragedy struck; disease proved deadly to prairie dog and ferret populations, and brought the black-footed ferret once again to the brink of extinction. Their numbers dwindled to a scarily low 18 individuals in 1986.

Those last 18 ferrets found were brought into a captive breeding program. Over time, biologists became very successful at breeding ferrets; over 7,000 kits have been born in captivity. Once numbers reached a sustainable level, ferret reintroduction began. . Now, nearly two decades later, the ferret is on the road to recovery. Last year marked the 30^th year anniversary of their rediscovery and the 20^th year of their reintroduction to the wild. They have been reintroduced to 19 sites from Canada to Mexico. Of these, four sites are considered a success, two have failed, and the other 13 are yet to be determined.

Listen to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describe the important recovery efforts under way in the following podcast:*

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Defenders of Wildlife supports this small predator’s success as an official member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team. Over three dozen governmental agencies and non-profit organizations pool their resources and expertise.  While partnering with federal agencies, Defenders also partners with tribal and private landowners to secure crucial habitat for the prairie dog and the black-footed ferret. We have helped with ferret recovery efforts at Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Lower Brule Reservation, Cheyenne River Reservation, Rosebud Reservation, and with private landowners in Kansas, among other sites.

It takes a team to save valuable species. Without coalitions like this, rare species don’t stand chance.

Click here to learn more about what Defenders is doing to help black-footed ferrets.

To find out how you can help, visit the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program at www.blackfootedferret.org

*The podcast featured in this blog post was edited to comply with file size restrictions.  The content of the podcast has not been changed.

A vista across Badlands National Park in South Dakota, site of the black-footed ferret celebration.

Thirty years ago, the black-footed ferret was thought to be extinct, a casualty of the war this country has waged against prairie dogs for more than a century. (Black-footed ferrets are completely dependent on prairie dogs for survival: they live in prairie dog burrows and eat prairie dogs, and we’ve lost over 95 percent of prairie dogs and their colonies due to plowing of the prairie, poisoning and exotic disease.) But on September 26, 1981, a ranch dog named Shep caught a black-footed ferret in Meeteetse, Wyoming, leading to the discovery of a single remaining population. Eight of these ferrets bred successfully in captivity, and from them we now have about 1,000 ferrets in 19 reintroduction sites across the west. Successful recovery is far from guaranteed, but we are on the right track thanks to some luck and a lot of hard work.

Rocky Mountain Region Representative Jonathan Proctor attended a weekend-long “ferret festival” at Badlands National Park in South Dakota to mark the 30^th anniversary of the rediscovery of the black-footed ferret. Here are some of the highlights from his trip:

The three biologists who pioneered black-footed ferret research returned to Badlands for the 30th anniversary of ferret rediscovery.

On Friday, Sept. 23, my morning started before sunrise as I traveled from my home in Missoula, Montana to Badlands National Park in South Dakota to join dozens of people who have worked over the past several decades to recover black-footed ferrets from the brink of extinction. The park’s “ferret festival” included scientific talks, media events, and – of course – tours to see ferrets in the wild. Close to 100 people attended the various events.

The festival began with the release of four captive-bred ferrets into the wild as part of the park’s ongoing effort to restore the species. The three men who helped release the ferrets were pioneers of ferret research prior to the 1979 death of the last-known captive ferret–the presumed extinction of the species. It meant a great deal to them to release these ferrets and see that their early work in ferret conservation had not been in vain.

Festival attendees were treated to a night of spotlighting for ferrets. You can see the green flicker of light in the eyes of these nocturnal predators.

When ferret researchers get together they tend to get little sleep because it’s only at night that studying ferrets in the wild takes place. As darkness fell we all went back to the park’s prairie dog towns with spotlights to search for the bright green eye shine of black-footed ferrets. This was part of the park’s annual effort to count the number of wild ferrets and evaluate the level of success at this particular site. Although the census is not yet complete for the year, the latest estimate is 25. Our day ended around 2 am, earlier than usual for a night of spotlighting for ferrets. But we all had a lot more to do in the coming days.

On Sunday afternoon, Dean Biggins discussed the latest research on sylvatic plague, the greatest threat to ferret and prairie dog survival. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say it’s going to be tough to save our most important ferret recovery areas from this non-native disease. For now, the only strategy we have is “dusting,” which means applying insecticide to each prairie dog burrow to kill the fleas that carry and transmit plague. This is time-consuming, expensive and probably not good for the environment. It is basically a stop-gap measure until a more efficient and affordable oral vaccine is developed to protect ferrets and prairie dogs from plague. Such a vaccine would still require regular human intervention to keep our most important prairie dog colonies alive, but quitting is not an option. If we give up, we lose not only prairie dogs and ferrets but also the many other species that thrive on large prairie dog colonies.

Juvenile prairie dogs cluster near the entrance of their burrow. Prairie dog colonies at Conata Basin have been wiped out by plague, impeding the recovery of the prairie dog-dependent, black-footed ferrets.

Next up was National Grassland biologist Randy Griebel, who updated us on the latest status of prairie dogs in Conata Basin, an area just south of Badlands National Park that is home to the largest and most important complex of prairie dog colonies on public lands in the entire Great Plains. This is an area Defenders has been working to save from both poisoning and plague for years. Conata Basin had been home to over 30,000 acres of prairie dog colonies and over 300 ferrets only a few years ago. Randy announced that Conata Basin’s prairie dog colonies are now below 10,000 acres in size, and ferret numbers are below 100. The loss is all due to plague, which first struck in 2008. The only colonies that survived were those that were dusted.

I have to admit that seeing first-hand the loss of a once-thriving prairie dog colony was tough. But all is not hopeless, and later that evening an inspirational slideshow by Michael Forsberg helped remind us of the natural beauty of the Great Plains that still exists and that we work so hard to restore. Ferrets have been given a second chance. Now it’s our job to make sure their miraculous rediscovery 30 years ago was not in vain.

Black-footed ferrets search prairie dog tunnels for food.

A weekly homage to endangered species, large and small

The world wouldn’t be the same without BFFs. But we’re not talking about “best friends forever”. We’re talking about black-footed ferrets—a key indicator species in prairie ecosystems across the United States and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the ferret’s rediscovery. The celebration is a chance to reflect on their amazing success story and the importance of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—our nation’s landmark wildlife conservation law. Without the ESA, we might not have any BFFs at all, not to mention bald eagles, gray wolves, or many of the treasured species that have been preserved and restored under its protection.

Check out all of the events celebrating 30 years of rediscovery and reintroduction for the black-footed ferret.

• September 24-25: Celebration at Phoenix Zoo (Phoenix, AZ) includes live black-footed ferret display and children’s programs.
• September 24-26: “Badlands 30th Anniversary Ferret Festival.” Hosted by Badlands National Park at Park Headquarters, Interior, SD. Park admission. Children’s programs, live ferret, public spotlighting by reservation, education programs and more.
• September 26: Celebrate at National Zoological Park, Washington DC. Seminars and other black-footed ferret programs.
• Many more.

 For A full list of scheduled programs, visit Black-footedferret.org

Don’t Call It a Comeback

Like many endangered species, ferrets have lost significant territory to agricultural development. Black-footed ferrets are one of three remaining ferret species in the world and the only wild ferret species that lives in North America. They can grow up to 2-feet long and weigh more than 2.5 pounds. Although they appear similar, domestic ferrets (found in pet stores) are members of a separate species from Europe.

Black-footed ferret

As settlers moved west in North America, they began to reshape the lands inhabited by black-footed ferrets. With the invention of the plow, native prairieland was converted into farmland. Prairie dogs (which make up about 90 percent of black-footed ferrets’ diets) were reduced to about two percent of their historic population due to poisoning by farmers who considered them a nuisance. With their major food source becoming scarce, the future for the black-footed ferret seemed increasingly hopeless. In 1967 they were listed as an endangered species. Still, faced with persistent habitat loss and new diseases including sylvatic plague, black-footed ferret populations continued to dwindle. In 1979 when the last remaining captive ferret died at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD, the black-footed ferret was declared extinct.

However, in 1981 a small population of the black-footed ferret was discovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming. Dedicated conservationists jumped on the opportunity to help the species survive and recover. Seven of the captured ferrets successfully reared young, and, through captive breeding and reintroduction, 19 populations have been reestablished in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico, Chihuahua and Saskatchewan.

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that about 750 ferrets now live in the wild (half of the population goal outlined in the 1988 Black-footed Ferret Recovery Plan).

WHAT GOOD ARE THEY?

The success of the ferret is good news for the prairie. The Great Plains are home to more than 20,000 animal species including more than 100 that are found nowhere else in the world like the black-footed ferret. The ferrets are key indicators of healthy ecosystems as they help manage prairie dog populations. The ferrets themselves are a food source for larger predators like owls, coyote and badgers. They are important members of the ecosystem both as predators and prey on the prairie.

Today, black-footed ferrets continue on the road to recovery, but the journey is far from over. These animals once numbered in the tens of thousands and now number only a few hundred. Even the laws that helped save the ferrets face challenges.

Government agencies and conservation groups, in cooperation with private landowners and communities helped restore the small predators to their rightful habitat under the protection and guidance of the ESA. Unfortunately, there are new legislative proposals to undercut current endangered species protections and prevent protection of imperiled species in the future.

It will take continuous efforts to help the black-footed ferret achieve long term sustainability and even more resolve to help other species reach similar success through an Endangered Species Act that has itself been threatened.

Learn more about black-footed ferrets:

• Black-Footed Ferret Fact Sheet
• Check out Defenders Work to save ferret habitat
• Download this sweet ferret poster and share it with your friends to show your support for endangered wildlife. Help us celebrate the big 3-0!

If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes on in the wild at night, it’s hard to beat helping your local black-footed ferret biologist spotlight for ferrets. Stick a magnetized spotlight on your hood and head out with one of the few federal or state ferret biologists in the country to help them count, capture, and vaccinate the ferrets in their care and you will see all kinds of interesting life between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.  I did just that with the biologist for the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, a magnificent 1.1-million-acre refuge that hugs the Missouri River (and Fort Peck Reservoir) as it moves through northeast Montana.

Check out my pictures:

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CMR vista

A view of the refuge from afar

Bull elk

CMR is known for its abundant elk

Site prep

Refuge biologist Randy Matchett cover a cage trap he has set to capture and survey black-footed ferrets.

More site prep

Randy gets down and dirty setting up another trap.

Caught in the headlights

Two ferrets spotted popping their heads out a burrow

Hawk

Hunting dinner in prairie dog country

Burrowing owl

These critters like to hide out in prairie dog burrows

Ferret inspection

Captured ferrets are vaccinated against plague and have their fleas removed.

The release

I got to release a ferret after its vital stats were recorded in the lab.

CMR at dawn

Open plains make ideal habitat for prairie dogs and ferrets.

Ferret camp

Sometimes called “The Yellowstone of the Plains” and best known for its elk, the refuge also reveals burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, coyotes, rabbits, mule deer, and much more after just a few hours of spotlighting. All of these species thrive in prairie dog colonies, which some people see as wastelands even though many scientific studies have documented the importance of prairie dogs to healthy prairie ecosystems.

Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered animals in North America – they were twice declared extinct, and the recovery continues to be thwarted by plague and intolerance from many ranchers for prairie dogs, which ferrets depend on for survival. Ferret biologists say at least 1,500 adult ferrets in at least 10 viable black-footed ferret populations, each with at least 30 breeding adults, are needed to improve the status of black-footed ferrets from endangered to threatened. This requires at least 10,000 acres of prairie dogs per site, and therein lies the rub – it’s hard to find such large blocks of prairie dog habitat given opposition from ranchers who want the grass that prairie dogs nibble for their cattle instead.

Defenders has been working for years to promote enough large prairie dog complexes to support ferret recovery, but plague has thrown a wrench in these plans. Both prairie dogs and ferrets are very susceptible to plague, a disease not native to North America. It remains to be seen if the “CMR” Refuge will someday serve as a one of the viable ferret populations that move them toward recovery, but the Refuge is giving it a good go. Only five ferrets survived a recent outbreak of plague. But, rather than give up, Refuge biologist Randy Matchett spent 12 consecutive sleepless nights searching for ferrets. He counted 24 this year – not as many as he was hoping for, but a definite improvement and a tribute to the Refuge’s good wildlife stewardship.

I joined him for three of those nights. Starting about 7:30 p.m. we set traps over prairie dog holes that Randy knew or suspected contained ferrets. We spent the rest of the night driving refuge roads looking for the green glow of ferret eyes as they popped out of prairie dog holes to see what was causing the commotion. Ferrets previously caught had been marked with temporary dye and were left alone. Traps – the humane kind – were set for new ferrets, or those that had not been caught yet this year. When caught, ferrets were taken to “The Hospital” – an old trailer – and sedated so they could be weighed, assessed, and vaccinated. Best of all for the ferrets, fleas were removed (to be sent to a lab and tested for plague). After awakening, ferrets were released back into the hole they came from.

As the rosy-fingered dawn pushed back the night (and faint northern lights), we checked the traps one last time, closed them, and headed back to “ferret camp” to sleep as best as the 90 degree heat and the chattering prairie dogs throughout camp would allow.

Read more about Defenders’ efforts to protect and restore black-footed ferrets.

One of the most endangered mammals in North America, the black-footed ferret, and the prairie dogs on which they feed, will have one less hazard to worry about this winter.  Defenders won a court victory barring the use of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait in the states of Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Rozol, which contains the blood thinner chlorophacinone, causes death by internal bleeding and hemorrhaging.  Dead and dying prairie dogs can be scavenged by ferrets and raptors, which in turn become poisoned themselves.  Defenders sued the EPA for approving the use of Rozol and ignoring federal safeguards under the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

In a recent decision, a district court in the District of Columbia sided with Defenders, ruling that EPA had indeed violated the ESA by approving Rozol without first consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the potential impacts of Rozol on ferrets and other threatened and endangered species.

The final order in the case bars use of Rozol in those four states, requires that Rozol’s manufacturer Liphatech, Inc., notify its distributors not to sell the product in those areas, and prohibits Liphatech from selling or distributing existing stocks in its possession without relabeling it to reflect the ban in those four states.  EPA has also agreed to complete consultation with FWS over Rozol use in 10 states to prevent accidental injury to other listed species in the West.