“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 relocate some individuals to other reintroduction 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