Interface Between Black-footed Ferret Research And Operational Conservation

A Road Map for 21st Century Genetic Restoration: Gene Pool Enrichment of the Black-Footed Ferret

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) could benefit recovery programs of critically endangered species but must be weighed with the risks of failure. To weigh the risks and benefits, a decision-making process that evaluates progress is needed. Experiments that evaluate the efficiency and efficacy of blastocyst, fetal, and post-parturition development are necessary to determine the ...

Spatial Optimization of Prairie Dog Colonies for Black-Footed Ferret Recovery

A discrete-time reaction-diffusion model for black-footed ferret release, population growth, and dispersal is combined with ferret carrying capacity constraints based on prairie dog population management decisions to form a spatial optimization model. Spatial arrangement of active prairie dog colonies within a ferret reintroduction area is optimized over time for maximum expected adult ferret p...

Plague in a black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes).

Diagnosis of sylvatic plague in a captive black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) was based on gross and microscopic lesions, fluorescent antibody tests, culture of Yersinia pestis, and immunohistochemistry. Gross lesions consisted of acute hemorrhage and necrosis associated with cervical and mesenteric lymph nodes, subcutaneous hemorrhages, and pulmonary edema. Acute edema, hemorrhage, and necr...

Carrying Capacity of Age-Specific Habitat Zones within Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Colonies: A Baseline Preceding Black-Footed Ferret Reintroduction

Genetic diversity and fitness in black-footed ferrets before and during a bottleneck.

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is an endangered North American carnivore that underwent a well-documented population bottleneck in the mid-1980s. To better understand the effects of a bottleneck on a free-ranging carnivore population, we used 24 microsatellite loci to compare genetic diversity before versus during the bottleneck, and compare the last wild population to two historica...