Ferrets Socks

Black-footed ferrets, the "masked bandits" of the prairie grasslands, continue down a perilous road toward survival. One of only three species of ferrets in the world, the North American black-footed ferret has faced a tenuous existence in recent years. The endangered animal requires prairie dog colonies to provide food and shelter. Rural development has fragmented and reduced prairie dog habitat, which in turn has caused severe population declines of black-footed ferrets.

Following its listing as an endangered species in 1973, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) biologists have conducted intensive searches to locate populations of the nocturnal, subterranean black-footed ferret. Years of searching were unsuccessful until 1981, when a small population was accidentally discovered by a rancher near Meeteetse, Wyo. This discovery gave biologists and researchers hope the species could be saved from extinction.

Little had been known about the elusive and rare black-footed ferret, and biologists began gathering data on its behavior, reproduction and survival rates. But one year after documenting an estimated 129 ferrets, the Meeteetse population experienced a rapid decline.   Shipping Info