Black-footed Ferret
(Mustela nigripes)
Black-footed Ferret
Only reintroduced
populations of
black-footed ferrets
are currently present.
They once ranged
throughout much of eastern Montana. Blackfooted
ferrets are intimately tied to prairie
dogs and are limited to the habitat that they
use (grasslands, steppe, and shrub steppe).
Conservation concerns include: reduction
of habitat; declining prey base (prairie dogs);
disease, such as canine distemper; and failure
of reintroduction efforts.
Conservation strategies include:
supporting strategic
conservation easements by
organizations and public
agencies; working through cooperative
agreements to manage for healthy populations
of prairie dogs; continuing
monitoring diseases that impact the health
of populations; and continuing to support
future reintroduction efforts that include the
adaptive management paradigm.
