With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Black-Footed Ferrets Have 'Big Bad Teeth' And A New Home
A black-footed ferret looks out of a crate during a release of 30 of the animals at a former toxic waste site, now a wildlife refuge in suburban Denver.
(
David Zalubowski
/
AP
)
Black-footed ferrets have "a lot of hair, big bad teeth and a bad-boy attitude," says Kimberly Fraser. She and other federal wildlife officials are re-introducing the rare creatures to the prairie in a suburb of Denver.
"They're a native species. They belong here," says Fraser, an outreach specialist with a program to re-introduce the ferrets in 12 states from Montana to Texas.
The Associated Press reports that they have just been released at a former toxic waste site in Commerce City, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge:
"Their new home is a 25-square-mile preserve of short-grass prairie in Commerce City, a northeast Denver suburb. Chemical weapons and pesticides were once manufactured there, but it became a wildlife refuge in 2010 after a $2.1 billion cleanup. ...
Sponsored message
"Black-footed ferrets were once thought to be extinct, but a small colony was discovered in 1981 in Wyoming. Researchers have been trying to restore the population since then.
"The long, slender creatures have short legs, appealing faces and an appetite for prairie dogs, which make up 90 percent of their diet. Adult ferrets can be up to 24 inches long and weigh 2½ pounds."
The key factor in the ferrets' survival at the site is whether plague kills off the prairie dogs they eat, according to Pete Gober, coordinator of program.
The Denver Post reports that at least one local landowner is happy with the new neighbors:
"I'm elated. I've worked for almost two decades trying to get natural predators for prairie dogs back on my ranch," [cattle rancher Gary] Walker said.
"Ferrets' elongated bodies and super-sensitive snouts let them slink through tunnels to underground dens while prairie dogs sleep. They clamp their teeth into the prairie dogs' necks like vampires and squeeze before devouring their prey."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
Sponsored message
Prairie dogs look on as the ferrets are turned loose. Ferrets eat prairie dogs.
(
David Zalubowski
/
AP
)
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
