Black-footed ferrets once occupied an expansive range stretching from Canada to Mexico—including 12 states in the US. Then came the threats of habitat fragmentation, loss of their food source, and Yersinia pestis (the bacteria that causes plague). By 1979, black-footed ferrets were considered extinct, but after decades of conservation efforts and collaboration by Smithsonian researchers and wildlife experts, they’re coming back from the brink of extinction.
Paul Marinari, senior curator at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, will discuss the ongoing efforts to reintroduce the black-footed ferret into its native range and the threats still impacting this critically endangered carnivore today. Ashley Peery, educator for the Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, will moderate the discussion. 12:30 p.m. Washington, DC; 9:30 a.m. Los Angeles; 1:30 a.m. Tokyo; 5:30 p.m. London This program is offered as part of NMNH’s new virtual series, Shared Planet Shared Health, and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants. Image credit: Victoria Lake / SCBI |