Link here to Casper, Wyoming Star Tribune.
A Columbus, Neb., biologist might have discovered the first wild
colony of an endangered species since the Meeteetse find in 1981.
Mike
Gutzmer, with Columbus-based New Century Environmental LLC, found three
black-footed ferrets during an endangered species survey in South
Dakota.
The black-footed ferret is the most endangered mammal in America and has been on the endangered species list since 1967.
It
has been more than 30 years since the black-footed ferret was found in
the wild in Meeteetse. There have been several populations of the animal
reintroduced by scientists over the years in eight states.
The
black-footed ferret used to number in the tens of thousands, but because
of habitat loss and disease, the animal faced extinction. It was
presumed extinct in the wild in 1987. About 1,000 of the ferrets are
recorded today, with 750 living in the wild and another 250 in
captivity.
The black-footed ferret is the only ferret species
native to the Americas. They are part of the weasel family and are
yellow, buff or white with a black “mask” across the eyes. They weigh
between 1.4 to 2.5 pounds and measure 19 to 24 inches in length.
The discovery of the wild colony on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation is like “finding a needle in a haystack,” Gutzmer said.
The Standing Rock Reservation is outside the Bakken.
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