The Black-footed Ferret

It was a sunshiney day today in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and more importantly, there was no wind. No wind! Stranger still, this is the second day in a row that there has been no wind! I am so happy I can't tell you!

This happiness caused me to forget to bring my camera with me, on the 15 mile/15 minute drive into Cheyenne, so no photos today. What I did do was go to the library and check out some books on Wyoming history.

And thus I start with The Black-Fotted Ferret. According to I Didn't Know That About Wyoming, by Lavinia Dobler, published in 1984, the Black-footed Ferret is the rarest animal in North America.

"The only known black-footed ferret colony is located west of Meeteetse in Park County."

The creature was first noted down in a book by James Audobon in 1851.

This ferret's chief food is the prairie dog.

Now, let's move to 26 years later and see the fate of the black footed ferret.

From Wikipedia:

The last known wild population was taken into captivity in 1985, a few years after its accidental discovery in Meeteetse, Wyoming. Release of captive animals has successfully re-introduced the species to parts of its former habitat, and currently these populations have made what has been called an "astonishing comeback.

They are nocturnal and primarily hunt for sleeping prairie dogs in their burrows. Though they will also eat mice and other small mammals, birds, and insects, a single Black-footed ferret eats about 100 prairie dogs a year and cannot survive without access to large colonies of them. Typically a prairie dog colony 125 acres in size will provide a sufficiently stable prey population for one adult ferret. The ferrets are mainly dependent on the prairie dogs for their survival, and even shelter in prairie dog burrows during the day. In the wild, black-footed ferrets spend about 99 percent of their time underground. Ferret mating seasons last from March–April. Gestation of the kits commonly lasts 41–43 days. The number of kits born ranges from 1 to 7, but most commonly only 3 or 4 are born.

The loss of their prairie grassland habitat, the drastic reduction of prairie dog numbers (through both habitat loss and poisoning), and the effects of canine distemper and sylvatic plague (similar to bubonic plague) have all contributed to the near-extinction of the species during the 19th and 20th centuries. Even before their numbers declined, Black-footed Ferrets were rarely seen: they weren't officially recognized as a species by scientists until 1851, following publication of a book by naturalist John James Audubon and Rev. John Bachman. Even then, their existence was questioned since no other Black-footed Ferrets were reported for over twenty years.

Black-footed Ferret kitsIn 1981, a very small population of about 130 animals was discovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming. Soon after discovery, the population began a rapid decline due to disease. By 1986, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department led a cooperative program to capture the 12 remaining animals (which would be added to an existing 6 already in captivity) and begin an intensive captive breeding program. At that time, the entire world population amounted to about 50 individuals in captivity.

As of 2007, the total wild population of Black-footed Ferrets was well over 750 individuals (plus 250 in captivity) in the US.

The recovery plan calls for the establishment of ten or more separate, self-sustaining wild populations. Biologists hope to have 1500 Black-footed Ferrets established in the wild by 2010, with at least 30 breeding adults in each population. Meeting this objective would allow the conservation status of the species to be downgraded to threatened.