How the Black-footed Ferret Came Back From the Brink of Extinction

Have you ever heard of a creature becoming extinct? Probably, but have you ever heard of a creature that came back from the brink of extinction? 

In the early 1900s, there were thought to be around 5 million black-footed ferrets, but by 1981, they were thought to be extinct due to lack of food. Now, however, there are approximately 350 black-footed ferrets. It’s not many, but it’s a start. How did this happen?

By the 1970s, the ferrets’ main food source (prairie dogs) had declined greatly. This was due to extermination as pests, habitat destruction for development and agriculture, and diseases such as sylvatic plague, a flea-borne disease that prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets are both prone to. This made it much harder for black-footed ferrets to find food and survive, as prairie dogs are 90% of the black-footed ferrets’ diet! They could eat 100 prairie dogs in 1 year!

In 1981, a rancher’s dog in Wyoming brought back a black-footed ferret that had been killed. After some investigating, researchers found a small number of black-footed ferrets nearby. With only seven ferrets, conservationists started reestablishing their populations. 

In 1991, 49 black-footed ferrets that were born in captivity were reintroduced into the wild in South Dakota’s Conta Basin The next year, researchers saw 2 new black-footed ferret babies, showing that they were adapting well to their environment. All was going well from 1996-1999 in South Dakota’s Conta Basin, where the black-footed ferrets were historically found. 

The population was slowly increasing until 2008, when the sylvatic plague hit the prairie dog population once again. With the help of the Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and Prairie Wildlife Research, groups of researchers were able to save a few ferrets to vaccinate to prevent extinction. They also dusted the prairie dog holes with insecticide to help stop the spread of the fleas that carry the disease. As of now, prairie dogs have made a comeback, and black-footed ferrets have too. New plague management devices have been placed in their habitat, making the animals’ chance of catching the sylvatic plague just a bit slimmer.

 To this day, we are still learning more and more about these fascinating animals. If you want to learn more, go to https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/black-footed-ferret.