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Pete Gober, Black-footed
Ferret Recovery Coordinator with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Field Office in Pierre, SD,
presents Louisville Zoo's Black-footed ferret keeper Guy
Graves with a picture and plaque.
Photo by Kara Bussabarger. |
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Pete Gober, Black-footed Ferret
Recovery Coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Field Office in Pierre, South Dakota, made a special visit to
the Louisville Zoo’s Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center on
July 1, 2009.
The Louisville Zoo plays a big part in
the black-footed ferret recovery effort and since the program
began in 1991, the Louisville Zoo has produced 798 kits, of
which 463 were released in the wild. It is currently
black-footed ferret kit (baby) season and the Louisville Zoo is
presently housing 28 adults—12 males and 16 females—and 45 kits.
“The Louisville Zoo is extraordinary in
their part of the recovery effort,” Gober said. “Its program
sets the gold standards in the captive breeding of black-footed
ferrets.”
During his visit, Gober presented the
Louisville Zoo and Black-footed ferret keeper Guy Graves with a
picture and plaque.
HISTORY
Black-footed ferrets are one of the
most endangered mammals in North America. In 1991 the Louisville
Zoo became one of six Black-footed ferret (BFF) breeding
facilities in the world.
In 1992 the first black-footed ferret
litter was born in Louisville. Over the next few years, the
Louisville Zoo managed to produce an increasing number of kits
for the black-footed ferret recovery program at a time when some
of the other captive breeding sites experienced low
productivity. As a result, the Louisville Zoo played an
important role at a crucial time in the black-footed ferret
recovery effort, and continues to supply ferrets for this
important conservation project.
The Louisville Zoo has partnered with
many organizations in efforts to save these animals, including
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA),
Black-footed ferret Recovery Implementation Team, Defenders of
Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, and many more. The
Louisville Zoo has played a big part in the recovery effort and
since the program began in 1991, the Louisville Zoo has produced
798 kits, of which 463 were released in the wild. Currently the
Louisville Zoo is housing 28 adults–12 males and 16 females—and
45 kits.
For more information about Black-footed
ferrets, visit
http://www.louisvillezoo.org/conservation/wfpk/ferret.htm.
