WGFD releases 20 black-footed ferrets on historic recovery site

MEETEETSE, Wyo. (KIFI) - Wyoming Game and Fish is continuing to aid the recovery of a species once thought extinct.

20 black-footed ferrets were released last week near the town of Meeteetse.

Ten male and ten female captive-born ferrets just joined their wild family members on the ground.

The small mammal was rediscovered in Wyoming 40 years ago. 

There are at least 35 black-footed ferrets there now which wildlife managers are calling a baseline for the endangered species.

Ashlee Lundvall, Game and Fish Commissioner from Powell who attended the release, said it was an impactful moment for the next era of conservationists.

“It was an honor to participate in the black-footed ferret release,” Commissioner Ludvall said. “I was so thankful that my daughter, Addison, was able to join me and experience the thrill of seeing these amazing creatures headed back to their natural habitat. This is a side of conservation that I want her, and those of her generation, to see and be part of.”

Game and Fish nongame supervisor  Zack Walker said Game and Fish will continue to carefully monitor the population. The department routinely surveys ferrets in the late summer with eyeshine surveys. During the nighttime surveys, biologists search the ground around known burrows with high-powered spotlights, looking for the green glow of a ferret’s distinctive eyeshine. When they see it, they set a trap at the ferret’s burrow. Any wildborn ferrets captured are vaccinated for distemper and plague. 

The department plans to release 10 ferrets in Shirley Basin near Laramie in the coming weeks, another historic ferret location. Shirley Basin was the first location in Wyoming to reintroduce black-footed ferrets following successful captive breeding. Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered mammals in North America.