Conservation Actions Protection Under the Law In 2021 the IUCN Red List indicates there are approximately 300-500 wild-living ferrets in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 1984, an outbreak of canine distemper brought by domestic dogs and coyotes devastated the already-precarious ferret population.īy 1985, there were just 10 known black-footed ferrets in the wild. The lowered immune responses of inbred animals increases the likelihood of epidemic disease. The remaining black-footed ferrets became more isolated, and unable to reproduce.Ĭrowding wildlife into smaller islands of habitat causes inbreeding. With patches of prairie becoming fewer and farther between, ferret habitat became increasingly fragmented. Just one percent of the United States’ native prairie remains today (see Spotlight on the Prairie). The wholesale conversion of prairie to crop land further impacted the ferrets and their prey. From 1900 to present, prairie dog populations plummeted to about 5 to 10 percent of their former numbers. Since the pioneers arrived on the Great Plains, ranchers and farmers have conducted an extensive campaign to get rid of prairie dogs, which were considered pests.ĭiscovery of sylvatic plague in the colonies stepped up efforts to eliminate the prairie dogs. Massive hunting and poisoning campaigns against the prairie dog, its main food source, caused the ferret to decline. Causes of Endangerment Killing of Prey and Habitat Loss A colony of prairie dogs 100 to 148 acres in size is necessary to support one ferret. It lives in burrows dug by prairie dogs, which also are its primary prey. The ferret eats ground squirrels, mice, birds, and insects. The black-footed ferret is a nocturnal prowler whose fate is closely tied to that of the prairie dog. Today, the ferrets have been reintroduced to a few limited areas in the United States and Mexico. The last wild black-footed ferrets were taken into captivity in 1987. This small carnivore once was widely distributed throughout the North American Great Plains from Alberta, Canada, south through the Rocky Mountains to the southwestern United States. It measures just 1 1/2 feet (46 cm) nose to tail. The rarest native mammal in the United States, the black-footed ferret is a short-legged, slender-bodied weasel. Threats: Hunting and Trapping / Housing / Agriculture / Invasive Species / Diseases Name: Black-footed Ferret ( Mustela nigripes)Ĭonservation Status: Endangered (2021 IUCN Red List)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |