“The fact that the President,
George Bush’s first foreign
visit has our country as its
destination is a clear message
of the interest his administration
places on strengthening links
with Mexico.”
President Vicente Fox, Mexico
“We are welcoming a new day
in the relationship between
America and Mexico. Each
nation has a new President,
and a new perspective.
Geography has made us
neighbors; cooperation and
respect will make us partners.”
President George W. Bush, U.S.
The United States and Mexico share a
2,235-mile border and a long yet little
known history of wildlife conservation.
As early as 1936, wildlife managers from
both countries have reached across
the way to each other and have been
quietly conserving the wildlife and
wild places of the border region.
What: The very first reintroduction of
black-footed ferrets into Mexico.
Where: Janos, Mexico
When: TBD, likely in October, 2001
Contact: Dario Bard, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 202/219 7499
The Story
“The idea is to breed more and to
spread them out,” explains Mike
Lockhart of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, describing the strategy to
recover the black-footed ferret from
the brink of extinction. “If you have
more than one population, then a
catastrophic event, like a disease
epidemic, isn’t as likely to wipe them
out…again.” Black-footed ferrets are
long, slender-bodied animals
characterized by a brownish-black
mask across the face, a brownish head,
black feet and legs, and a black tip on
the tail. Once reduced to just 18
individuals, they now number in the
hundreds, thanks to captive breeding
programs, such as the one at the
Phoenix Zoo. But although captive
breeding has gone well, re-establishing
wild populations has been difficult.
Re-introduction efforts at various
locations across the U.S. have been
struggling. Only at South Dakota’s
Conata Basin are ferrets breeding in
the wild at a rate high enough to re-locate
some individuals to other re-introduction
sites. Lockhart and others
have their eyes on Janos, Mexico,
The Return of the Black-Footed
Ferret to Mexico
A New Day…Un Nuevo Dia
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Luray Parker
where there are half a million prairie
dogs. (Black-footed ferrets prey almost
exclusively on prairie dogs and also
use their burrows as dens.) Presently,
U.S. and Mexican conservationists
are working out the details on the
transportation and release of dozens
of black-footed ferrets into Janos’s
prairie dog colony.
Status of Black-Footed Ferrets
Recognized as an endangered species
in the U.S. and no longer in existence
in Mexico. The black-footed ferret is
North America’s only native ferret. The
present population is estimated at 600,
with approximately equal numbers
in captivity and in the wild. In 1987,
only 18 black-footed ferrets remained.
The species suffered tremendous
declines in numbers as a result of
rural development and disease, which
impacted not only black-footed ferrets,
but also prairie dogs, a species vital to
their survival.
Recovery Efforts
The U.S. first recognized the species
as endangered in 1967, under the
predecessor of today’s Endangered
Species Act. At the time, only one
known population of black-footed
ferrets remained in the wild. That
population crashed in 1974 and its last
member died in captivity in 1979. At
that point, the species was thought to
be extinct, until a rancher accidently
discovered a colony of about 120 ferrets
near Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981.
Biologists were thrilled with this
second chance to rescue the species
from extinction, but hope dimmed
when the newly discovered population
succumbed to disease (canine
distemper). In 1987, biologists captured
the last 18 remaining members of the
colony in a last ditch effort to save
the species through captive breeding.
Following a tremendous effort,
biologists have realized extraordinary
success with captive breeding (from
the last 18 ferrets, they have bred
hundreds). Now a new struggle is
underway: the re-establishment of
wild populations.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov
June 2001
Rich Kruger
