In a significant move to revive endangered wildlife, Arizona has embarked on a new journey to reintroduce black-footed ferrets into their natural habitat. These efforts, happening in Aubrey Valley near Seligman, mark the state’s first ferret reintroduction in over three decades.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department undertook the release of 10 captive-bred black-footed ferrets last November. They plan to sustain these reintroduction efforts every spring and fall for the coming three years, aiming to restore this crucial predator to its ecological niche.
Holly Hicks, a biologist involved in the project, emphasizes the importance of these ferrets, describing them as North America’s most endangered mammal. They play a vital role as a keystone predator, primarily preying on prairie dogs. Hicks points out, “We’ve very much over time manipulated predators. We’ve taken grizzly bears out of most areas, wolves are very restricted; we’ve taken a lot of predators out. This is restoring a predator back to the landscape.”
Efforts to establish a stable black-footed ferret population in Aubrey Valley are not new. Previous reintroduction attempts during the 90s and 2000s initially saw success, but the population suffered a dramatic decline post-2012, largely due to sylvatic plague. Notably, the newly released ferrets have been vaccinated against this plague, boosting hopes for a more resilient population.
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