Colorado releases 17 endangered black-footed ferrets into the wild

Amanda Pampuro

LAMAR, Colo. (CN) — The first bandit-faced black-footed ferret kit slid right out of its carrier like it had been dreaming of the endless eastern plains of Lamar, Colorado, where prairie dog tunnels crisscross beneath cow pies and kochia, native grasses and yucca.

Subsequent ferrets chattered and hissed at the Lamar Middle School students that opened their carriers as though sensing the hard life of dodging owl talons and hunting down their own meals ahead.

The 17 black-footed ferrets released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Thursday — with the help of local students — at May Ranch in Lamar represent another step toward establishing a sustainable population of the keystone species once believed to be extinct.

“When I was a child, they thought these were extinct,” reflected rancher Dallas May after watching an adult ferret disappear down a prairie dog hole. “Now they got a new lease on life.”

May said he understands the pivotal role the ferrets play in the ecosystem. His ranch is a piece of the whole.

Once widespread across the west, "three p’s" wiped out the black-footed ferret — or as they're known scientifically, Mustela nigripes — before the middle of the 20th century: plows turning grassland into farms, poison meant to eradicate prairie dogs, and the sylvatic plague, which decimated ferrets along with their food supply.

One of the first species listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, many though the ferrets were lost until a sheepdog named Shep discovered a small population in Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981, giving ecologists a second chance to protect them.

Biologists captured seven successful breeding ferrets shortly before the plague wiped out the remaining wild colony.

All wild black-footed ferrets are descended from those captured in Wyoming in the ‘80’s, though the animals have started breeding in the wild in Lamar and other parts of Colorado.

Biologists recently cloned an eighth animal from the Wyoming colony, which they hope will one day help bring more diversity to the wild populations.

In the wild, ferrets can eat up to 100 prairie dogs in a year, and are also important prey for raptors, burrowing owls, kit foxes, badgers and coyotes.

Wildlife biologists have released ferrets in six sites across Colorado, while an estimated population of 500 spans eight western states.

Tina Jackson, the black-footed ferret recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, explained how protecting this one species benefits the entire ecosystem.

“They're considered an umbrella species,” Jackson said. “If you manage for the ferret and everything the ferret needs all these other species benefit.”

Colorado wildlife biologists gave each ferret a parting meal: a single euthanized hamster, which will sustain them for several days as they explore the strange new environment.

Prior to being released, ferret families go into pre-conditioning pens where they must successful kill a prairie dog and face exposure to predators through a mesh net. Despite preparation and instinct, the animals face a harsh reality.

“There is a sharp and dangerous learning curve for these ferrets,” said Jonathan Reitz, terrestrial biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “When they get released, they have had little to no exposure to predators. They’re entering a war one and have to fight for their burrow.”

Despite the challenges of the job and long, cold night surveying the population with a spotlight, Reitz finds the job rewarding.

“Seeing a ferret doing wild ferret things that changed everything for me,” Reitz said. “It is rare and a pretty amazing experience.”

Come spring, if all goes well, there will be more ferrets to find.