The Black-Footed Ferret – a.k.a. the bandit of the Plains – a.k.a. your BFF – is in the news again!
Meet Elizabeth Ann, the first-ever U.S. endangered species to be cloned! She has the same genetic material as Willa, a BFF from Wyoming that died over thirty years ago. The genetic material has been kept in a frozen state in San Diego until recently.
The BFF was feared extinct until a small colony of just seven were found in Wyoming. Their population was decimated when their main food source, the prairie dog, saw its numbers drastically reduced by ranchers and farmers over several decades.
Scientists hope to bring their numbers back up, but genetic diversity remains an issue, as does habitat loss.
I’d like to think we can find some room for these guys. They’re pretty cool!
