Seven black-footed ferrets to be reintroduced.

Of the 24 endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) kits born at AZA-accredited Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (www.cmzoo.org) this year, seven have been sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in Fort Collins, CO in preparation for their release into the wild at four different sites. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, located in Colorado Springs, was one of the first institutions to join the USFWS-led black-footed ferret breeding and recovery efforts, which began in 1990. Three years earlier, the last remaining wild ferrets had been placed in captivity to prevent the species' extinction. Working alongside other AZA institutions involved in the AZA Black-Footed Ferret Species Survival Plan, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has contributed almost 70 individuals to the release programs to date.

The global population now numbers approximately 1,000 individuals, of which over half are captive-reared individuals that have been reintroduced to the wild. Unfortunately, the ferrets have not fared well at some release sites, especially those where prairie dogs, the ferrets' main prey, have been stricken by sylvatic plague. However, recent news of wild-born kits in Colorado suggests that there is hope for this population even in areas that have been hit by disease.

The only ferret native to North America, black-footed ferrets range from 15 to 22 inches in length and have historically inhabited prairie dog towns throughout the Great Plains. A ten thousand acre prairie dog town is required to sustain a viable black-footed ferret population. Extermination of prairie dogs by farmers and ranchers has led to the dramatic decline in black-footed ferrets, which were thought to be extinct until a population was discovered in Wyoming in 1981. Black-footed ferrets have been listed as endangered by USFWS since 1967.