Program biologists propose to focus additional reintroductions on a new release site with better habitat than the original 97-98 site. The Phoenix Zoo, AZ, and the Toronto Zoo, Canada, appear to be having another good year with 25 and 27 kits produced to date, respectively. Kit production will again extend through July, providing for more distributed preconditioning treatments. Recent data indicate that the number of ferrets produced from pens is greater than can be produced in typical indoor cage settings and that the survival of kits from pens is significantly greater than their cage-reared counterparts. A complex of new pens in MT may or may not be ready in time to accept a small experimental allocation of pregnant females this year.
All animals appear to be in excellent health entering the breeding season.
In an experimental effort to increase the number of viable males for the field breeding facility in northern AZ, three male ferrets from The Phoenix Zoo were recently transferred to the AZ facility. Pairings of males and females at The Phoenix Zoo have been completed and the transferred males remained in breeding condition. FCC staff provided training and technical assistance to all field breeding participants over the past two months and together we are optimistic that a good crop of kits will be produced. Ferret recovery is intrinsically linked to large prairie dog complexes. Disease Sylvatic plague has been documented in prairie dog populations in all states but South Dakota and is a major factor in suppressing prairie dog populations at this time.