At 50, Endangered Species Act responsible for black-footed ferret comeback

By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News

Big Sky Connection - Wildlife advocates credit the Endangered Species Act, which turns 50 this year, with big gains in species recovery and protection. The black-footed ferret was considered endangered even before the Act was signed in 1973 and has made good progress on a path toward restoration. Comments from Kristy Bly, manager, the black-footed ferret restoration program, World Wildlife Fund. Pronouncer: sylvatic (sil VAT' ik)

Click on the image above for the audio. Wildlife advocates have been working to restore the black-footed ferret population on federal and tribal land in Montana since 1994. It was listed as endangered in 1967, six years before the passage of the Endangered Species Act, which turns 50 this year. (Kristy Bly/WWF)

Mark Moran

December 28, 2023 - The Endangered Species Act turns 50 this year, and the World Wildlife Fund credits the measure for significant gains in the black-footed ferret population, among other species thriving under its protection.

The black-footed ferret was listed as endangered in 1967, even before the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973 and the ferret was grandfathered in.

Kristy Bly, manager of the black-footed ferret restoration program for the World Wildlife Fund, who works in Eureka to restore ferrets in eastern Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming, said the Endangered Species Act is almost completely responsible for gains in the black-footed ferret population, while acknowledging there is still a long way to go.

"Today, we estimate there are 390 ferrets in the wild in 17 locations in North America," Bly reported. "To recover the species, we estimate we need about 3,000."

Thanks to the Endangered Species Act, dedicated partners and innovations, Bly pointed out the numbers are headed in the right direction. Since it was enacted, wildlife advocates say the Act has prevented 99% of its listed species from extinction and has served as a global model for responsible wildlife protection.

Bly noted sylvatic plague is the number one threat to reaching the recovery goal. Scientists are working to keep the so-called "black death" in check among the black-footed ferret population and its main prey, the prairie dog.

"In the case of black-footed ferrets, there is a vaccination," Bly stressed. "Ferrets born in captivity and released into the wild are vaccinated against plague and canine distemper."

Bly said there is an annual effort to capture and vaccinate wild black-footed ferrets, as researchers introduce vaccinated animals born in captivity into the wild.