Have you heard of Black-footed ferrets?

If not - you aren't alone! Once native to much of North America, these small carnivores were thought to be extinct in the late 1970s, mostly due to the decline of the prairie dog population. Prairie dogs are hugely important for the survival of the ferrets not just for food, but for their burrows. Black-footed ferrets often take up residency in old prairie dog towns and use them to take shelter and raise their young.

When a small population of the ferrets were re-discovered by a rancher in Wyoming in 1981, Zoos and the National Fish & Wildlife Service took action. A population of 18 ferrets were taken in to start an emergency breeding and reintroduction program.

Since the first reintroduction in 2007, the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center has been heavily involved in leading the Kansas Black-footed ferret surveys and reintroductions thanks to help from Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private landowners. It is one of only 24 facilities globally authorized to exhibit a live Black-footed ferret and is the designated agent for overseeing the Kansas surveys and release site.

In 2025, the annual survey of the wild population in Western Kansas gave hopeful results according to Topeka Zoo's Conservation Director, Dennis Dinwiddie. "We were able to catch and survey a total of 11 ferrets. 8 of those were wild born ferrets, in varying stages of life. Additionally, there were 43 confirmed sightings in multiple locations of the 10,000 acre release site. Following the Black-footed ferret S.A.F.E plan, we released 22 ferrets and each release went very well. With the number of confirmed sightings, the number caught that were wild born, their ages, and the fact that they came from all over the range we can confirm a couple of things."

Reproduction is going well.
Survivability is increasing.
And population dispersion is happening."

Photos depict Dennis at a previous Black-footed ferret release. The wild ferret population is now estimated to be in the lower hundreds, which is a huge success, but their endangerment status and conservation efforts remain critical.

#nationalferretday #conservationwins #conservation #whyzoosmatter

An egg-cellent day at the Zoo awaits...

EGGSTRAVAGANZA is on the calendar for April 4 (this upcoming Saturday)! From 9 am - 3 pm, join us as the animals enjoy their own versions of an egg hunt. Throughout the day, keepers will be deploying papier-mache eggs that were handmade by our amazing crew of Zoo Docents.

🐻 A BEARY special experience is also in store - get a sneak peek at our black bear cubs by being at the Ranger Station in Hills Black Bear Woods at 1:30. The first 20 visitors at the station at 1:30 will get to go down and see where the cubs have been living, preparing for their introduction to adult bear Val and the big yard come late spring.