Black-footed Ferret
The rarest mammal in North America, the last known Black-footed Ferret died in captivity in 1979.
The species was extinct, or so we thought. In 1981, a small population of ferrets was found in Wyoming and in 1985, the last 18 Black-footed Ferrets on earth were brought into captivity.
From these last ferrets a captive breeding program began and now re-introduction programs are slowly bringing this species back.
Extensive, and continued shooting and poisoning of prairie dogs and ground squirrels (food for ferrets) and the conversion of grasslands into cropland drove this weasel to the verge of extinction. Black-footed Ferrets were once found in southwestern Saskatchewan but no ferrets have been seen in the province since 1937.
No re-introductions are scheduled for Saskatchewan at this time.
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