Black-Footed Ferrets Give Birth in the Wild & Second Release Bolsters PopulationMonitoring Update – March, August & September 2010 Results In March/April 2010, over a two week monitoring period, ferret trackers positively identified a minimum of 12 individuals ferrets, corresponding to a 35% survival rate from ferrets originally released in the previous October 2009. This overwinter survival rate is similar to other reintroduction sites in the United States. In the early morning hours of July 25, 2010, a playful litter of kits was observed on a black-tailed prairie dog colony. For the first time in more than 70 years, black-footed ferrets had been born in the wild in Canada! read release Listen to a June 30th 2009 CBC interview with The Calgary Zoo's Head of the Centre for Conservation Research Dr. Axel Moehrenschlager by clicking here
Reasons for Population DeclineBetween 1974 and 1981, the black-footed ferret was thought to be extinct (Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program, 2005) However, small self-sustaining populations now exist in South Dakota and Wyoming (IUCN, 2008). Plans are also underway to restore this important species to its native Canadian grassland habitat.
Other threats to the recovering black-footed ferret populations include natural predators such as eagles, coyotes, foxes and badgers.
What We're DoingResearchers at Centre for Conservation Research (CCR) are currently working to manage sustainable populations of black-tailed prairie dogs – the black-footed ferret’s sole food source. Since the summer of 2006, research has been conducted on the remaining black-tailed prairie dog populations in Grasslands National Park in Southern Saskatchewan. Part of this research has involved studying black-tailed prairie dog health and demographics, and taking a closer look at how food supplementation impacts prairie dog colony size and density. Ensuring that existing black-tailed prairie dog populations can sustain the reintroduction of these specialized predators is an important aspect of this research. By gaining a better understanding of prairie dog colony sustainability, the researchers at CCR will be better equipped to help wildlife biologists prioritize areas for future black-footed ferret releases.
What We've Done
References:- Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program (2005) Ferret Facts [Internet] Available from: http://www.blackfootedferret.org/facts-history.html Accessed 2009 Jan. 7 - IUCN (2008) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Mustela nigripes. [Internet] Available http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/14020 Accessed 2009 Jan.7
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Habitat loss is considered the primary cause of the initial decline of the black-footed ferret, and remains to this day one of the most significant factors influencing the size of the black-footed ferret population. Black-footed ferrets were once found on the Canadian prairies living in close association with black-tailed prairie dogs, the ferrets' main prey. Black-footed ferrets are heavily dependent on black-tailed prairie dogs. In fact, black-tailed prairie dogs make up nearly 100% of the black-footed ferrets' diet. Black-footed ferrets also use abandoned prairie dog burrows for shelter. (IUCN, 2008). It is easy to understand, consequently, why the widespread extermination of prairie dogs for agricultural purposes and the rise of urban development has resulted in a significant decrease in the world's black-footed ferret population. What remains of the black-footed ferret’s grassland habitat is also shrinking and becoming more fragmented as agricultural and industrial developments spread across the landscape. As a result of low genetic diversity, the black-footed ferret population is also extremely susceptible to certain diseases, such as canine distemper, sylvatic (Bubonic) plague, rabies, tularemia, and human influenza (Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program, 2005). Although some of these diseases are not usually considered serious, all of them have the ability to significantly undermine the recovery of the species.
In 2005, Calgary Zoo researchers facilitated an international technical workshop, bringing together experts on black-footed ferrets and other related prairie species. This led to the formation of a National Black-footed Ferret/ Black-tailed Prairie Dog Recovery Team - the first joint species recovery team in Canada. Calgary Zoo researchers are among the founding members of this team which is tasked with developing strategies and priorities for successfully reintroducing black-footed ferrets, and managing sustainable populations of black-tailed prairie dogs. As of spring 2008, there were nearly 300 ferrets in captivity and approximately 500 breeding adults in the wild - less than 250 of which were actually born in the wild (IUCN, 2008). The future success of these populations hinges on finding suitable, stable, protected habitat for them to live in. 
