Record year for Arizona's endangered ferrets

Record year for Arizona's endangered ferrets

Black-footed ferrets are on the rebound in Arizona

Only 18 of them were left in the world at one time, but now endangered black-footed ferrets are on the rebound right here in Arizona. In fact, the year 2005 ended with a record count of these 2-foot long, furry creatures that were first reintroduced in the state back in 1996.

"We're seeing many signs of success in the ferret reintroduction project each year, but 2005 marked the best year yet," says Bill Van Pelt, head of bird and mammal programs for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Biologists thought the black-footed ferret was extinct in the late 1970s, but then about 120 of the animals were found in the mid-1980s in Wyoming. In 1985, after two disease outbreaks had killed most of the remaining ferrets, the last 18 were captured to start a breeding program. The ferrets' offspring now live at eight reintroduction sites in the United States and Mexico, including one in Arizona's Aubrey Valley outside Seligman. Captive-born ferrets are periodically released into the wild there.

Every spring and fall, biologists take high-powered spotlights out for five nights in the Aubrey Valley in northwest Arizona to monitor the ferret population. These surveys are done at the times of year when the ferrets spend the most time above ground. During last year's two surveys, the team spotted a record number of black-footed ferrets and also trapped (and then released) a total of 35. That means the individual trapping count went up almost 50 percent, from 24 ferrets in 2004.

"In addition to the high total numbers from the year's two ferret surveys, the project is also seeing more ferrets reproduce in the wild," says Carrie King, head of the field portion of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's ferret reintroduction project.

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Note: The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes they have been discriminated against in any Game and Fish program or activity, including its employment practices, the individual may file a complaint alleging discrimination directly with the Game and Fish Deputy Director, 2221 W. Greenway Rd., Phx., AZ 85023, (602) 942-3000 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr., Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact the Game and Fish Deputy Director as listed above or by calling TTY at 1-800 367-8939 azgfd.com