Black-footed ferrets are back from near extinction!
Thanks to a captive breeding programme, one of the world's rarest mammals are making a comeback in Wyoming. The black-footed ferret were driven to near extinction due to two main factors: sylvan plague and the loss of their main food source - prairie dogs. Thanks to the breeding programme there are around 223 of the weasel-like animals in the Shirley Basin area. At one point there were only 18 animals in the world, which made them the world's most endangered mammals. These 18 were taken out of the wild back in 1986 and seven were bred in zoos, universities and other institutions, but their re-introduction to the wild was unsuccessful and by 1997 only five could be found. The plague, canine distemper and slow breeding seemed to doom the attempts by conservationists to re-introduce the species, but thanks to continued efforts (including help from local ranchers) the population of black-footed ferrets are now growing by 35% per year.
[via Reuters]
