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. This area served as the primary site for the species' conservation following its rediscovery decades ago.
- 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-plus 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. His rationale was relieving predation pressure to allow prairie dogs time to recover.
- Meeteetse rancher Allen Hogg expressed disappointment but said, "just because they didn't find them doesn't mean they're not there." Retired Game and Fish Nongame Wildlife Supervisor Bob Oakleaf questioned whether the location's small size and plague can support self-sustaining populations.
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials remain committed to restoration efforts in the region. Gygli said officials hope prairie dog populations will rebound enough to support a captive-raised ferret release in 2027.
13 Articles
13 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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