Conservation Efforts

The Black-footed ferret is a small carnivore considered one of the most endangered carnivores in North America – in fact, it was thought to be extinct twice. Only in 1981 was a small relict population discovered near Meteetse, Wyoming – and there began an amazing story of bringing a native species back from near extinction into a captive breeding program and now black-footed ferrets are back in the wild in 19 release sites 17 in the United States, one in Canada and one in Mexico.

Click here to check out the Phoenix Zoo's live ferret webcam!

Check out our partnership with US Fish and Wildlife Service

Black-footed ferret fact sheet

History of the black-footed ferret

The Phoenix Zoo's ferret breeding compound