Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret The black-footed ferret is a slim, short-short legged animal that lives in dry prairies where prairie dogs are abundant. They are a member of the weasel family and are the rarest mammal in North America. Their natural habitat was the Great Plains from Texas to south central Canada. The black-footed ferret has a yellow-buff colored body and a dark brown on black face. It also has a black tipped tail and black legs. …

…recovered from the disease and in 1988 captive breeding of the ferrets was successful. In 1992, biologist reintroduced 49 ferrets in the wild. The goal is to have 1,500 free ranging ferrets in the wild by the year 2010. Biologists are not optimistic about the chances for survival in the wild since the prairie dog is not abundant in the ferret’s habitat. Many states in the historic range of the ferret consider prairie dogs pest and require their eradication.