With the loss of 98 percent of
prairie dog habitat, which Black-Footed Ferrets depend
upon, they neared total extinction in the 1980s. In
1985, only 18 ferrets remained. These were captured
and brought into an ex-situ conservation breeding
programme in which wildlife authorities and zoos participated
(AZA and USFWS).
Ferrets bred under this programme are returned to
the wild. The size of the current wild population
is more than 600.
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