This is Lacy, a member of the Black-footed Ferret species. I had the oppertunity to meet Lacy at the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, while I volunteered there. I first met Lacy on June 10th, when I chose to watch over her during her pregnancy due date. She did not have here kits during my watch, and I later learned that due to birth complications, her kits died, and she can no longer have natural births.

The Black-footed Ferret was once thought to be extinct in 1971, until a farmer's dog turned up with a fresh carcass. When the farmer took the body to a local Taxidermist, he was informed of what his dog found. That was in 1981, and soon scientists rushed in to examine the body, and look for the last remaining colony of the Black-footed Ferret. When the colony was found, it was discovered that only 18 ferrets survived. Those 18 members were collected and became the parent generation for the entire species. The Black-footed Ferret has been captive-breed since that discovery date and now there are over 5,000 individuals in existance today.

One of the research centers credited with the saving of this species is the Conservation and Research Center (CRC) in Front Royal, a captive-breeding and reproductive physiology research center under the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Intitute. The CRC works to ensure the conservation of species diversity and Biodiversity through- out the world, and work almost exclusively with endangered species. the CRC is also the headquarters of NOAHS, a group of scientists that work towards bio-conservation, and establishing genome resourse banks to conserve important geneticly unique individuals of endangered species.

The primary threat acredited to the near extinction of the most endangered species in North America was the mass extermination of its food source. The primary diet of the Black-footed Ferret is the black tailed Prairie Dog. As well as its main diet, the Black-footed Ferret also uses the Prairie Dog colonies ("cities") as shelter. Farmers saw the Praries Dog holes as a threat to their hoof-stock, and a threat to their production (even though recent studies have shown that the presence of a Prairie Dog colony on agricultural land increases productivity by a least 12%). The solution was to remove the Prairie Dogs, and their burrows. this included the use of dynomite, poison, gas, hunting, smoking out, and various ways of covering the holes, such as cementing. As the colonies were removed from the land, the Black-footed Ferret population declined. The loss of food or poisoned food led the population the be consitered excinct in the late 70's.

The Black-footed ferret in now protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1975 (ESA). Also portions of their origional habitat are protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In 1991, the Black-footed ferret was reintroduced into the wild, and since then over 500 have been released. But they are still threatened. While the Depatment of Interior (FWS) purpues to protect the Black-footed Ferret under the guidelines of the ESA, the Department on Agruculture is still sanctioning extermination of the Prarie Dogs. In some states local laws dictates that land owners must destroy any Prairie Dog colonies found on their land, even offering benifits for doing so. As long as one part of the government works against the other, the survival of the Black-footed ferret in unclear. Thanks in part from Ted Turner (large arces devoted to Black-footed Ferret reintroduction) and the Smithsonian Institution, hopefully it will continue to exist.

people have met Lacy, the Black-Footed Ferret.