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16 - Saving the Black-Footed Ferret from Extinction

In Theory and Practice

from Part III - Saving Species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2018

By
Rachel Santymire
Edited by
Allison B. Kaufman ,
Meredith J. Bashaw  and
Terry L. Maple
Allison B. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Meredith J. Bashaw
Affiliation:
Franklin and Marshall College, Pennsylvania
Terry L. Maple
Affiliation:
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
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Summary

The black-footed ferret story is one of success and triumph, but it is also not finished. At one point in its history, there were fewer than 30 individuals in the world. But the passion of wildlife biologists prevented its extinction, and now, after 30 years of captive breeding, we have produced over 9,100 individuals. Some ferrets are released into the wild and others remain in breeding facilities across North American zoos and the United States National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center to retain the species’ gene diversity and again to support current and new reintroduction sites. In this chapter, I will describe how we use science to help this species remain in existence now and into the future.
Type
Chapter
Information
Scientific Foundations of Zoos and Aquariums
Their Role in Conservation and Research
 , pp. 440 - 474
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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