Tammy and Jinx write
>I was talking to this older fellow and he told me that about 15-20 years
>ago, he baught a black footed ferret from a small town pet store
 
Fifteen to 20 years ago, the black footed ferret was among the most
endangered mammals in the world.  It was just about 20 years ago that the
last 18 in existence were captured in an attempt to save the species.
After a shakey start, the program is going fairly well, with hundreds of
bffs being bred by several zoos across N. America, and a handful of
reintroduction sites.  (I don't think any of these are self-sustaining
yet.)
 
The ferret the old fellow bought at the pet store was certainly a domestic
ferret with black feet.
 
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH
[Posted in FML issue 3530]