Reintroduction

There are currently 19 black-footed ferret reintroduction sites located in eight states with one site in Mexico and one site in Canada. Black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, and New Mexico. To learn more about the historical reintroduction of black-footed ferrets into Canada, see: http://www.torontozoo.com/bff.asp.

The science of endangered species reintroduction is in its infancy. With relatively recent realization of human induced endangerment and extinctions, as well as the importance of every species in the web of life, the science of reintroduction became necessary for those species extirpated from their natural habitats. Captive breeding and reintroduction programs are extremely costly and risky and therefore biologists try to avoid this whenever possible by conserving species and their habitats at levels that avoid the need for intensive recovery efforts.  But some species, such as ferrets that were extirpated from the wild 25 years ago, require captive breeding/reintroduction programs in order to reestablish wild populations. It would be wiser to concentrate on also keeping common species common.

Black-footed ferret reintroduction into the wild began in 1991 when the captive population reached a level that some individuals could be released into the wild without risk to the essential captive population. The first reintroduction was at Shirley Basin in Wyoming. By looking at the map you can see that efforts have grown tremendously and include many partners in State, Federal, and Tribal agencies along with private individuals and non governmental organizations. Even with all this support and effort, recovery is a slow process that requires significant resources. This scenario is not unlike that for other species that have been put into a similar situation such as Arabian oryx, golden lion tamarins, and California condors. Furthermore, of the 18 attempted ferret reintroduction sites, three have been unable to establish self sustaining ferret populations and other sites have clearly struggled. Partnerships committed to ferret recovery continue to pay dividends to not only ferrets but other native species dependant upon the prairie dog ecosystem.   

Current numbers in the wild are encouraging! Today, from the 18 individual ferrets taken from the wild between 1985-1987 to begin the captive breeding program, approximately 800 to 1,000 individuals now live in the wild. Each year 150-240 young ferrets are reintroduced into the wild after a period being called pre-conditioning that exposes young kits to more natural settings and increases there chances of survival when reintroduced into the wild. Pre-conditioning is conducted at the USFWS National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Northeastern Colorado and some individual sites have also undertaken pre-conditioning efforts. Ferret kits that are candidates for reintroduction are placed in pre-conditioning pens at approximately 90 days of age, often with their mom. At 120 days of age or older, they are ready to naturally disperse from their mother, which is the opportune time to introduce them to the wild. During pre-conditioning they gain experience interacting with their preferred prey which is prairie dogs, all the while being protected from predation. They are also exposed to life in a natural burrow system. Before release into the wild, all ferrets are vaccinated against canine distemper and plague, both of which are deadly to black-footed ferrets.

Click the name of a Reintroduction Site for more information

Shirley Basin, Wyoming, 1991

Image courtesy of LuRay Parker, Wyoming Game and Fish Department