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30th anniversary: Black-footed ferrets step back from extinction
By Lou Hanebury - Billings Gazette - 12/08/2011
Thirty years ago, in 1981, many things that we take for granted today were just being introduced. The first personal computer was launched, sticky notes were invented, and MTV hit the airwaves. More... |
Black-tailed prairie dog threatened in Sask.
CBC News - 12/02/2011
Even though some may see them as a nuisance, scientists are expressing concern about the fate of the black-tailed prairie dog.
The animal was initially as 'special concern' on Canada's endangered species list, but after a recent review it has been changed to 'threatened.' More... |
Hey, Watch It! Wisconsin native hopes to ferret out interest in his nature documentary
By Rob Thomas - 77 Square - 11/15/2011
Hey, I knew some things about black-footed ferrets before watching Travis Livieri's documentary "Return of the Prairie Bandit." Like, for example . . . what color their feet were.
Okay, my knowledge topped out right about there. More... |
DWR releases black-footed ferrets in Uintah County
By Geoff Liesik - Deseret News - 11/12/2011
The noise began almost as soon as the tailgate dropped on the pickup truck from Colorado. It was a nonstop, high-pitch chattering interspersed at times with prolonged hisses from inside the pet carriers stacked in the covered bed of the truck. More... |
Celebration wows students
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 11/08/2011
Military precision -- at least as far as is humanly possible when grade school students are involved -- was the order of the day Monday at Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
That's because 1,149 students passed through the hallowed halls of the museum to celebrate what had been billed as the 30th anniversary of the rediscovery of the endangered black-footed ferret. More... |
Celebration attracts small crowd
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 11/07/2011
If it hadn't been for the "ferret" sign adjacent to U.S. Highway 40, Saturday's setting at the Tim and Rebekah Peterson farm could have been mistaken for any other high school science fair, sprinkled with a bit of entertainment. There certainly was plenty of free pizza for the 65 or so people attending. More... |
Ferret count drops at reintroduction sites
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 11/02/2011
After crossing out all the duplicate sightings, the count for black-footed ferrets in Logan County was down this fall. Searchers spent eight nights in the field recently at the Haverfield-Barnhardt complex south of Russell Springs and at the Nature Conservancy's Smoky Valley Ranch, only to find a total of 38 animals, according to Dan Mulhern, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of the reintroduction program. More... |
Ferrets wild and free
By Mike Drew - Calgary Sun - 10/22/2011
The ferret just didn’t want to come out. It had come all the way from Colorado to its new home here in Grasslands National Park in a comfy pet carrier case and now, as dusk settled into dark, it just didn’t feel like making the foot and a half walk from the carrier to the prairie dog burrow right in front of it. More... |
Grasslands ecosystem benefits from third release of black footed ferrets
SWBooster - 10/19/2011
On Oct. 18, Parks Canada, with participation of over 60 schoolchildren and representatives from the Calgary and the Toronto Zoos, reintroduced 15 more black-footed ferrets back to their prairie home at Grasslands National Park.
Only two years ago, the approved recovery strategy announced at the Toronto Zoo gave the support for the first group of 34 ferrets to journey up from Colorado, United States, for reintroduction to the Canadian prairies. More... |
Black-footed ferret documentary premiered at local ferret show
By Susan NC Price - Chicago Pets Examiner - 10/10/2011
Visitors and exhibitors at the Greatest Ferret Show on Earth (GFSOE) in Villa Park this past Saturday, October 8, 2011, learned that BFF means something quite different to wildlife biologists than to young women. When researchers speak of BFFs, they mean not best friends forever but black-footed ferrets. More... |
The Cautious Celebration of the Black-footed Ferret's Recovery
By Benjamin Donatelle - Bozeman Magpie - 10/06/2011
It’s 11:30 at night and we’re racing down a dirt road through the dark South Dakota plains. The dust kicked up leaves a 1/4-mile cloud behind us while the Milky Way sparkles above a moonless night. More... |
Black-footed ferrets still struggle to gain foothold in Montana
By Brett French - Billings Gazette - 10/04/2011
Randy Matchett calls it his chart from hell.
Rising and falling like heartbeats recorded on an electrocardiogram, the lines show the surge and decline in black-footed ferret kit reproduction in the past 17 years in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Montana. More... |
South Dakota court asked to reinstate prairie dog lawsuit
By Associated Press - Rapid City Journal - 10/03/2011
Dozens of ranchers asked the South Dakota Supreme Court on Monday to reinstate their lawsuit seeking state compensation for damage from prairie dogs.
Ranchers in an area near Badlands National Park claim they lost money when prairie dogs spread from the public land to their property, destroying wheat fields and pastures. More... |
Wyoming outdoors: Black-footed ferret recovery is conservation success story
By Bob Krumm - Billings Gazette - 09/29/2011
In case you missed it, there was a three-day celebration in Meeteetse over the weekend that marked the 30th anniversary of the discovery of black-footed ferrets on the Hogg Ranch. Thirty years ago. John Hogg's dog, Shep, left a slinky critter next to his bowl. More... |
Ferret celebration meets opposition
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 09/28/2011
Anti-prairie dog forces have convinced Logan County and Oakley school district to withdraw permission for "celebratory" activities to herald the 30-year anniversary of the rediscovery of the endangered black-footed ferret.
The Oakley school district withdrew its permission for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct two assemblies that had been scheduled next week. More... |
Black-footed ferret's revival celebrated
By Associated Press - Argus Leader- 09/26/2011
As the cage door opened, black-footed ferret No. 7505 tentatively peeked his head out, looked hesitantly at the prairie dog burrow offered before him and then rushed inside, disappearing under the soil of western South Dakota’s Badlands.
His freedom had been months in the making, but in less than a minute – and three decades after his species was thought to be extinct – he was gone, unleashed into the wild to do what the endangered ferret does best: attack and kill prairie dogs. More... |
The black-footed ferret: Flagship species for the prairie ecosystem
By Gary Raham - North Forty News - 09/15/2011
If Helen of Troy’s beauty once “launched a thousand ships and burnt the topless towers of Ilium,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hopes that the charm of the black-footed ferret’s whiskered nose and masked eyes will help resurrect the fallen fortunes of short grass prairie habitat. This ferret truly is a charmed species, as this year marks the 30th Anniversary of its recovery from apparent extinction — a recovery that teetered on the brink of failure more than once. More... |
Journal’s Focus on Black-Footed Ferret Marks 30 Years of Repopulation Efforts
Newswise - 08/17/2011
The black-footed ferret disappeared from the wild in the late 1980s. As predicted in 1929 in the pages of the Journal of Mammalogy, human persecution of prairie dogs, the principal prey of ferrets, took its toll on this species. More... |
EPA cancels Rozol prairie dog bait
Hot Springs Star - 08/15/2011
As of August 8, 2011, Rozol Prairie Dog Bait (EPA Reg. No 7173-286) cannot be sold or used in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and New Mexico.
Unopened containers must be returned to dealers or distributors for return to Liphatech, the manufacturer of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait.
More... |
Prairie dogs not felled by plague
By Angela Hall - Leader-Post - 07/27/2011
This year's healthy blacktailed prairie dog population in Grasslands National Park has staff breathing a sigh of relief, with no evidence that the plague is taking a toll on the animals.
The discovery last summer of one black-tailed prairie dog dead from sylvatic plague raised the spectre that the disease may have killed more prairie dogs in their underground homes. More... |
The Humane Way to Manage Prairie Dogs
By Julie Hauserman - The Humane Society of the United States - 07/21/2011
The spot that a colony of Arizona prairie dogs picked for their home was worse than bad; it was positively perilous. They were living beneath a rifle range at the Camp Navajo National Guard Training Site outside Flagstaff. More... |
Wilderness, Grazing Fuel Debate Over 1.1M-Acre Montana Refuge
By Laura Petersen - The New York Times - 07/14/2011
The Fish and Wildlife Service has been flooded with public comments over a proposed management plan for the second-largest national wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states, including an 8,000-acre net decrease in potential wilderness area and significant changes in how livestock are managed. More than 20,000 comments have been received on the draft comprehensive conservation plan for the 1.1-million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Montana. More... |
Hibernation behind prairie dog decline
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 07/11/2011
The unusually harsh weather conditions that sent black-tailed prairie dogs underground for what is believed to be an exceptionally rare hibernation period continues to affect the health of the animals.
Population estimates over at the Smoky Valley Ranch owned by the Nature Conservancy, for example, are considered to be about half of normal. More... |
Logan County demands ferret talks resume
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 07/11/2011
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been issued an ultimatum by the Logan County Commission: Resume communications over the agency's black-footed ferret reintroduction program or else.
Failure to do so, according to a 3 1/2-page letter, will force the commissioners to pursue other legal venues, including contacting the Justice Department, the Interior Department's inspector general and the head of Intergovernmental Affairs. More... |
New Black-Footed Ferrets Get Names
By Travis Livieri - 06/29/2011
We are very excited to announce the winning names to our “Name the new Black Footed Ferrets” contest. Many cute, creative and heartfelt names were submitted. It was wonderful seeing them all. More... |
Black-footed ferrets found in Wyoming aid in species' recovery
By Martin Kidston - The Billings Gazette - 06/18/2011
A discovery made 30 years ago by a ranch dog is being lauded as the find that saved the black-footed ferret, a shy animal once viewed as one of the rarest mammals on earth.
Working off the dog’s tip back in 1981, biologists discovered a small population of ferrets living near Meeteetse. More... |
As the elephants pack their trunks, Toronto Zoo needs rebranding
By Brett Popplewell - Toronto Zoo - 05/13/2011
The black-footed ferret may not be the top attraction at the Toronto Zoo, but the zoo's success at reintroducing the endangered species to the prairies deserves more recognition. More... |
Boulder moves on plan to relocate 500 prairie dogs from foothills park
By Heath Urie- Camera Staff Writer - 05/11/2011
Boulder Wildlife Officials say they plan to forge ahead with relocating up to 500 prairie dogs from Foothills Communtiy Park to city owened open space in Gunbarrel. More... |
Rich County dumps ferret-reintroduction plan
By Brandon Loomis - The Salt Lake Tribune - 05/05/2011
Rich County commissioners have opted not to allow reintroduction of the endangered black-footed ferret into a prairie dog colony on private land in northern Utah, according to the County Clerk’s Office. More... |
Disappearing Prairie Dogs Part 2
By Travis Livieri - Small Animal Channel - 05/01/2011
I’m in western Kansas with my colleagues to figure out what happened to all the prairie dogs at the black-footed ferret reintroduction site. Everyone wants to know what happened. Is it plague or some other devastating disease? More... |
Ferret outlook remains positive
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 04/01/2011
A two-week foray into the realm of black-footed ferrets -- even in less than ideal weather conditions -- has brought with it high hopes for the upcoming breeding season.
"The boys were up frantically looking for women," said Dan Mulhern, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of the Logan County ferret reintroduction program. More... |
Ferret found in new prairie dog town
By Mike Corn - Hays Daily News - 04/01/2011
An errant black-footed ferret has been found more than 4 miles away from the largest of the two reintroduction sites in Logan County.
The wayward animal was found on land owned by Calvin and Jay Haverfield, the two sons of Larry and Bette Haverfield, where most of the reintroduced black-footed ferrets have been released and where the largest population of the animals exists in Kansas. More... |
Disappearing Prairie Dogs (part 1 of a 2-part blog)
By Travis Livieri - Small Animal Channel - 04/01/2011
I’m sitting in the same exact spot that Dean was in February, among the yucca plants. A good prairie dog count today will go a long ways toward verifying the hibernation theory. In the early morning, silent prairie, my stomach growls. Am I nervous about the count or is it a lack of breakfast? I’m sure it’s a little bit of both. More... |
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JoGayle Howard, Brilliant Scientist and Pioneer, Dies
By Newsdesk- Smithsonian - 03/08/2011
Dr. JoGayle Howard dedicated her life and work to reproducing endangered species. Since she arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in 1980 as a freshly graduated veterinarian (Texas A&M University), her intense focus on animal reproduction and her success at pioneering new techniques earned her the title of “Sperm Queen,” a nickname she relished. More... |
The amazing return of the black footed ferret
By Larry Lyons - Niles Daily Star - 02/15/2011
By definition it would seem impossible to bring an animal back from extinction. After all, extinct means gone, “gone like yesterday” as the Montgomery Gentry song puts it. However, in a way, that unlikely feat has been accomplished with the black footed
ferret, one of the world’s rarest animals. More... |
There's no time to think of ferrets' future at Fort Carson
By R. Scott Rappold - Colorado Springs Gazette - 02/12/2011
Talking isn’t allowed in the Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center.
The forced quiet is meant to keep the animals calm. And the few people allowed into this closed area of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo must wear surgical masks and sterile booties instead of shoes, safeguards to prevent the spread of disease to one of the most endangered mammals in the world. More... |
Documentary Follows The Return Of The Endangered Black-Footed Ferret To Canada’s Prairie
By Marylou Zarbock - Small Animal Channel - 02/07/2011
Who can resist the story of an animal coming back from extinction? That’s the miracle that filmmaker Kenton Vaughan relates in the documentary Return Of The Prairie Bandit. More... |
Yorkton filmmaker's documentary monitors reintroduction of endangered black-footed ferret into the wild
By Taylor Shire - Leader-Post - 02/04/2011
Getting the chance to come back to the Prairies to work was always a goal for filmmaker Kenton Vaughan. Originally from Yorkton, Vaughan has been a documentary filmmaker for 10 years. His latest film, Return of the Prairie Bandit, will be aired on CBC TV's The Nature of Things on Thursday at 8 p.m. More... |
Prairie dogs find natural home
Editorial - The Lincoln Journal Star - 01/31/2011
People who have seen prairie dog exhibits like the one at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha probably have wished that they could see what a real prairie dog town would look like out in the open range.
Soon they'll have a new opportunity to do just that, thanks to the first-ever plan by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to set up a new prairie dog colony in the north-central part of the state.
More... |
Missing prairie dogs in hibernation
By Mike Corn - The Hays Daily News - 01/28/2011
It's the latest whodunit for wildlife biologists -- this time a case of prairie dogs gone missing for nearly 30 days at several key locations in Logan County.
Questions abounded: Where did they go, why and is there reason for concern? More... |
Battling Back From ‘Extinction’
By Matt Miller - The Nature Conservancy - 01/18/2011
As a kid, I recall reading a story about the extinction of the black-footed ferret: gone forever. Even at a young age, I was a dedicated enthusiast of strange and unusual animals. I still remember the deep regret I felt that I would never see this cool-looking animal hunting prairie dogs on the Great Plains. More... |
State modifies new rules on prairie dog poison
By Mike Corn - The Hays Daily News - 01/14/2011
The Kansas Department of Agriculture has granted an exemption to allow a blood-thinning poison used to kill prairie dogs to be administered by mechanical feeder rather than by hand.
The hand-delivery requirement located on labels of the poison Rozol were recently implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency. More... |
Banishing Plague from the Prairie
By Sharon Oosthoek - Defenders of Wildlife Magazine - Winter 2011
Behind the brick walls of the National Wildlife Health Center, past security doors leading to an isolation room, black-tailed prairie dogs dine on peanut-butter-flavored pellets. These tan-colored rodents with black-tipped tails were captured near Wall, South Dakota, and now live in burrows of stainless steel boxes connected by plastic pipes. More... |
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