Phoenix Zoo helping endangered ferrets

PHOENIX — In a spacious, well-lit room along a back trail at the Phoenix Zoo, rows of wooden and wire cages house 31 black-footed ferrets.

That's 31 more ferrets than the estimated population of the entire species in the wild three decades ago.

These ferrets are not on display with other native Arizona wildlife. They are kept in the zoo's new ferret conservation building, part of a captive-breeding program that has helped pull the species from the razor's edge of extinction.

The zoo, which manages one of six ferret-breeding centers in the country, will mark the 30th anniversary of the species' rediscovery in the wild with a series of public events this weekend.

Behind the scenes, work will continue to produce more of the long, lithe animals for release into 19 reintroduction habitats in the West and Midwest, including one site near Aubrey Valley, east of Kingman in northern Arizona, where nearly 100 ferrets now live.

"As breeding programs go, the black-footed ferret is a model of success," said Stuart Wells, the zoo's director of conservation and science. "The ferret went extinct in the wild, and zoos and private individuals came together to bring it back."

Black-footed ferrets are still considered one of the most endangered mammals in North America. The wild population is estimated at about 1,000.

At the zoo, the ferrets skitter about their cages, diving into plastic tunnels that mimic burrows, popping up again when they hear activity, their black-masked faces inquisitive but alert. They scramble for snacks of kibble, waiting for meatier meals of rat.

Sharon Biggs, a conservation technician, checks on the ferrets throughout the day, watching for changes in behavior or any signs of illness. Ferrets can catch human illnesses, which is one reason the breeding center is closed to the public.

The ferrets, which grow to about 24 inches long and weigh up to about 2.5 pounds, also get some form of behavioral enrichment to keep them sharp, Biggs said. "Sometimes it's just a paper bag for them to play in," she said.

Black-footed ferrets — named for the black fur on their feet, a dark contrast to their buff yellow bodies — once roamed wide areas of prairies and high grasslands from Canada to Mexico. They followed the prairie dogs, hunting them and moving into their burrows.