Celebrate the rediscovery of the black-footed ferret, North America’s rarest mammal, and its return to Kansas during the program “Back from the Brink: Black Footed Ferret Reintroduction in Kansas” from 2-3 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.
Learn if ferrets really dance and discover insights to this elusive but curious creature and the amazing efforts to save and return the species to the wild. The survival of black-footed ferrets is irrevocably tied to prairie dogs. Ferrets survive almost entirely on one prey species – the prairie dog. As prairie dog populations declined, so too did the black-footed ferret, until it was thought to be extinct. A Wyoming ranch dog played a vital part in the ferret’s rediscovery 30 years ago, but that is all part of the amazing story you will hear during the program.
Presenter Dan Mulhern, US Fish and Wildlife Service, has led the effort to reintroduce black-footed ferrets in Kansas, with the first releases in December 2007. Working for USFWS since 1984, Mulhern has been primarily responsible for Kansas endangered species and migratory birds since 1988.
After the program, prairie dogs, and possibly a black-footed ferret, will be on display and children can make their own black-footed ferret to take home with them. For more information, call 1-877-243-9268 or 620-786-7456.