No Black-Footed Ferrets Found in Meeteetse, 40 Years After a Rescue Saved the Species – WTOP News
Wildlife managers say plague and drought have reduced prairie dogs and left the reintroduced population at just one confirmed ferret in 2025.
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials reported no black-footed ferrets detected in the Absaroka Range foothills outside Meeteetse during recent surveys, marking a collapse in the area that served as the species' conservation cradle.
- Sylvatic plague and drought in the Bighorn Basin decimated prairie dog colonies, the ferrets' primary food source. Surveyors found only 3,800 acres of active prairie dog habitat, down from 6,000 acres mapped during the 2016 reintroduction.
- Small carnivore biologist Andy Gygli diverted 10 captive-raised ferrets to the Shirley Basin this summer instead of releasing them in Meeteetse to relieve predation pressure and allow prairie dog recovery.
- Meeteetse rancher Allen Hogg expressed disappointment but remained optimistic, while retired Game and Fish Nongame Wildlife Supervisor Bob Oakleaf questioned whether the location's small size and recurring plague can support self-sustaining ferret populations.
- Restoration efforts remain a priority for the department. Officials hope prairie dog populations will rebound sufficiently to support a captive-raised ferret release in 2027, according to Gygli.
15 Articles
15 Articles
No black-footed ferrets found in Meeteetse, 40 years after a rescue sa
Wyoming wildlife managers are reporting that no black-footed ferrets are being detected in the cradle of the species’ conservation: the Absaroka Range foothills outside of Meeteetse, where the ferrets were saved after presumed extinction in the 1980s.
Black-footed ferrets have vanished from Wyoming – The Horn News
Wyoming wildlife managers are reporting that no black-footed ferrets are being detected in the cradle of the species’ conservation: the Absaroka Range foothills outside of Meeteetse, where the ferrets were saved after presumed extinction in the 1980s. A tough combination of plague and drought — both big issues for the... Read More The post Black-footed ferrets have vanished from Wyoming appeared first on The Horn News - Proudly American, Fierce…
No black-footed ferrets found in Meeteetse, 40 years after a rescue saved the species – WTOP News
Wyoming wildlife managers are reporting that no black-footed ferrets are being detected in the cradle of the species’ conservation: the Absaroka Range foothills outside of Meeteetse, where the ferrets were saved after presumed extinction in the 1980s. A tough combination of plague and drought — both big issues for the embattled western species
The Toronto Star
No black-footed ferrets found in Meeteetse, 40 years after a rescue saved the species
Wyoming wildlife managers are reporting that no black-footed ferrets are being detected in the cradle of the species’ conservation: the Absaroka Range foothills outside of Meeteetse, where the ferrets were saved after presumed extinction in the 1980s.
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