Photo by Brian Gratwick

The Black-footed ferret should not be confused with its close relative the domesticated ferret. Contrary to the domesticated ferret which originates from Europe, the black-footed ferret is native to North America; in fact, it is the only indigenous species to North America.

The domestic ferret as the name would imply is widely kept as a pet and varies in color from white to nearly black usually with a dark mask and tail. The Black-footed ferret has dull yellow fur that is slightly darker on the back.

The degradation of the ferret’s home, the prairie grassland, significant decline of prairie dog populations (the ferret source of food), and disease have all led to the near-extinction of the species. This mid-sized member of the weasel family once found in almost every prairie dog colony across the length and breadth of the North American plains, from the Rio Grande north to the Frenchman Valley, was extirpated from Canada in 1937 and globally extinct in the wild by the late 1970s. It was officially listed under the Canadian Species at Risk Act in May 2000 and classified as endangered in the U.S. as of 1967. For a long time it was believed that the species was extinct until 1981 where a small group of about 130 ferrets were discovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming. At that time, these last known ferrets were probably the rarest mammals on earth. In 1985, these same ferrets were taken into captivity to be bred at various facilities across North America with the intention of being reintroduced into the wild.

Today, after being erased from the Canadian prairie over seven decades ago and after dwindling to a whisker of extinction, the black-footed ferret has made its comeback. “In the early hours of July 14, a playful litter of kits was observed,” announced Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice. “The black-footed ferret mother and her three kits appeared healthy and engaged in honing their survival instincts.”

On October 2, 2009, a population of 34 black-footed ferrets were released into Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan; of those 34 at least 12 survived the winter. Here is a link to footage of the first black-footed ferret kits born in the Canadian wild. In the coming months you will also have the opportunity to take in this exciting new discovery through the documentary Nature of Things with David Suzuki.