The black-footed ferret (Mustela Nigripes) is known as the most endangered mammal in North America and it belongs to the weasel family. Researchers paid little attention to this species until it was discovered as threatened in 1967. According to an article issued in 1985, black-footed ferrets were perceived to be extinct until Lucille Hogg’s dog discovered a dead carcass of the species in 1981 (Gustkey, 1985). The discovery made by taxidermists reintroduced the species to the world as endangered (1985). The main reason for the decline in the population was due to the decline in prairie dogs. Prairie dogs make up most of the black-footed ferret’s diet, which can easily influence the predator-prey relationship and cause the population to fluctuate. …show more content…
Through preconditioning, researchers allow the species to experience and live in a monitored environment. This helps with further research in creating self-sustaining black-footed ferret populations (Black-footed Farret; Holmes, 2008).
Threats Faced by Black-Footed Ferrets According to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), black-footed ferrets were initially thought to be extinct (Calgary Zoo). After 1987, however, they are listed as extirpated—extinct in the wild. In the IUCN red list, this species is listed as endangered. Black-footed ferret populations faced a high decline in population during the 1970s, when the population was listed as extinct. Reasons for risk of extinction. The main reason for the risk of extinction includes the declining population of prairie dogs. Black-footed ferrets heavily rely on prairie dogs for nutrition. With the increasing popularity of cultivation in prairie lands during the early 1900s, the prairie dogs faced a high decline in population leading the ferret population to decline as well. Since prairie dogs were considered to be pests, they were usually poisoned or killed by famers in hopes of protecting
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Different captive breeding programs have been initiated since the extirpation of black-footed ferrets for the purpose of reintroducing the species into the wild. The first captive program for black-footed ferret happened during the 1970s at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Roelle, Miller, Godbey, & Biggins, 2006). However, the official successful breeding of the first black-footed ferret litter did not happen until 1987. The last population of ferret population was caught 1987, when the population was officially listed as extirpated. Today, many conservation programs exist in order to reintroduce this species back into the wild. In fact many conservation programs have been successful at captive breeding and creating self-sustaining ferret
Some captive species even have problematic changes in reproduction such as not be able to reproduce anymore (Lynn 1817). These changes in behavior and high cost are a major factor in whether these programs are sophisticated and whether the animals can be reintroduced into the wild and if it would benefit their
Now, just a couple of years later, the Colorado Division of Wildlife is planning to release over 180 more lynx into the Colorado wilderness within the next five years. However, out of nearly 100 Canadian Lynx that have already been released so far, about half of them have died and none of them have reproduced. With the type of results that the process has received so far, the agencies involved in the reintroduction process should stop reintroducing the lynx into Colorado. Instead, they should try to find a way different way that will get results that save the species. The government agencies that are involved in reintroducing the lynx argue that it should be done in order to save an endangered species. In this argument they bring out three strong points for trying to save the lynx: every animal should have the opportunity to exist, many people feel happy when they see the animals they share the land with and all living things are part of a complex ecosystem ("Wildlife Commission . . ."). However, they aren't sure how to reintroduce the lynx so that they don't all die.
Over Hunting during the Fur Trade is evident, and resulted in the near extinction of some animals popular for furs, such as Beaver, Mink, O...
1.A lot of people are misinformed, have misconceptions, or might not have any idea at all about what these animals are about. The ferret family, which includes weasels, mink, polecats, martins, skunks, badgers, otters, wolverines, and the endangered black-footed ferret. Early Greek literature suggests that unlike its cousins, the ferret has been domesticated for approximately two to three thousand years.
Weeks, P., & Packard, J. (2009). Feral hogs: Invasive species or nature. Human Organization, 68(3), 280-292. Retrieved from http://wk4ky4tk9h.scholar.serialssolutions.com.library.esc.edu/?sid=google&auinit=P&aulast=Weeks&atitle=Feral Hogs: Invasive Species or Nature's Bounty?&title=Human organization&volume=68&issue=3&date=2009&spage=280&issn=0018-7259
The Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Levy, Sharon. A Plague of Deer. BioScience 56.9 (2006): 714–21.
Doherty, T., Dickman, C., Johnson, C., Legge, S., Ritchie, E. and Woinarski, J. (2016). Impacts and management of feral cats Felis catus in Australia. Mammal Review, 47(2), pp.83-97.
The only ferret native to the U.S. was thought to be extinct, until the black-footed ferret had made another appearance. The ferret is a descendant of the weasel family, but is very different from the rest of its species. A predator with a length of only about 2 feet, and black eyes that give it the characteristics of a robber. It tends to find its home in the villages of another animal, in which they eat. In the Great Plains, the ferret decreased greatly in population from lack of food, the past generations have already taken action, and the today’s generation is continuing more efforts to save the ferrets.
In the last decade, from the Rockies to New England and the Deep South, rural and suburban areas have been beset by white-tailed deer gnawing shrubbery and crops, spreading disease and causing hundreds of thousands of auto wrecks. But the deer problem has proved even more profound, biologists say. Fast-multiplying herds are altering the ecology of forests, stripping them of native vegetation and eliminating niches for other wildlife. ' 'I don 't want to paint deer as Eastern devils, ' ' said Dr. McShea, a wildlife biologist associated with the National Zoo in Washington, ' 'but this is indicative of what happens when an ecosystem is out of whack. ' ' The damage is worse than anyone expected, he and other scientists say. Higher deer densities have affected growth, survival, and reproduction of many plant species which have aesthetic, economic or ecological value. In some cases, many species of trees have also been shown to have reduced growth as a result of high deer density (Environmental Benefits of Hunting, 1). Deer prefer certain plant species over others and frequently feed on economically valuable tree species. For example, they prefer oak and sugar maple seedlings, as well as acorns, over less palatable species like American Beech and striped maple. Thus, less marketable species are more likely to survive to maturity,
Estimates are that at the turn of the twentieth century over two million wild horses roamed free in the western United States. However, having no protection from their primary predator, man, by the 1970’s there numbers had dwindled to less than thirty thousand. In 1971, after a massive public uproar, Congress by a unanimous vote enacted the “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act” (Act) that characterizes wild horses and burros as national treasures and provides for their protection.
National Parks are the cornerstone of every country because it preserves the rich cultural and natural resources of a nation, such as Yellowstone in the United States of America. Yellowstone National Park is the World’s First National Park which brings millions of attraction each year, it is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combine and have over a thousand species of plants and animal (Yellowstone Media). However, a very important type of species has been missing in Yellowstone National Park for a very long time. Wolves, which got reintroduce back into Yellowstone National Park, should stay there because without them the ecosystem would be out of balance.
The National Wildlife Federation lists an endangered animals as a genus that may be eradicated by leaving an insufficient quantity to reproduce or obliterating the species in it entirety ("Endangered animals act," para 1). In the United States alone there are 70 mammals that are recorded as endangered; however the foreign number exceeds 250 (US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2014). The extinction process could be correlated to a natural route; however extinction may also transpire due to environmental differences. Climate variations producing even slight changes in characteristics may have an extreme consequence on an endangered species. Loss of habitation also impacts species causing them to becoming imperiled. On occasion ailments are distributed from domestic animal; due to the loss of habitation wild animals to come in contact with infected animals. For example Siberian tigers have development distemper from domestic dogs; and this has triggered the tigers to lose their fear of humans. This proves to be hazardous when the tigers approach villages and roads and are killed; furthermore the disease may cost the tigers their lives. (Dell’Amore, 2013). Many of the vanishing animals are poached for varies elements that may be utilized in traditional treatment. The African rhino is on species that is being significantly exploited for their horns; in Vietnam and China the horn is thought to treat everything from hangovers to cancer (O’Neill, 2013). In addition, the introduction of an exotic species afflicts endangered animals, and the overexploitation of animals initiates noteworthy reductions in populations. If an animal is not able to adapt to changing variations it could be disastrous to a species.
Shreeve, jamie “Species Revival: Should We Bring Back Extinct Animals?” ngm.nationalgeographic.com 5 March 2013, 22 March 2014
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.
In our world today we have approximately 26,021 endangered species. Endangered species are organisms that may possible become extinct. The term 'endangered species' refers to all species that fits this description. However some conservation biologists and scientists normally use the term ‘endangered species’ to refer to species that are put on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)Red List. Many factors can be looked at when considering the conservation status of a species. Factors such as human threats or environmental threats can cause a species to become endangered.