>From: Andy  Abate <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Gary Holowicki <[log in to unmask]>
 
    NBC television news reported tonight that 15 endangered black-footed
ferrets died yesterday at the National Biological Service BFF research
facility at Pueblo, CO.  The cause, as reported, was "contaminated" food.
The source of contamination was euthanized prairie dogs which were infected
with sylvatic plague.  Prairie dogs kept at the facility for food are
subjected to a ten day quarantine under normal circumstances.  It is unknown
at this time if the suspect food had been properly quarantined.
 
    According to Dean Biggins of the NBS and supervisor of the Pueblo
project, every animal died within a couple of hours with the exception of a
few newly arrived young animals slated to be pre- conditioned in outdoor
pens prior to release into the wild.
 
    This in the second such known tragedy at the Pueblo facility within the
past three months.  On August 28, 1995, seven irreplaceable young kits died
during routine transport from the Wyoming breeding facility to Pueblo.  They
were transported in oven-like boxes on a hot day.  Although the vehicle was
air-conditioned, this was inadequate for their survival.  It is speculated
that the animals were not monitored during the five hour trip as it is
virtually impossible to do so in those types of containers.
 
    The Society for the Protection and Conservation of the Black-Footed
Ferret deplores the continuing disasters with these rare animals.  A
proposal for the housing of non-releasable BFFs submitted by the Society in
October of this year, and which would have saved the lives of most of the
animals which died in this latest tragedy, remains in limbo with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service while they contemplate whether the Society can
care for the animals as well as the Service and its associated facilities
can.  This question can best be answered by stating that the two individuals
who ran the Pueblo facility for four years, and who were terminated as a
result of the protest over release of unsuitable animals, are the same ones
who propose to operate and oversee the proposed care Cent er.
 
    During their tenure at Pueblo, only one resident ferret was lost.  Her
cause of death was undiagnosed even during necropsy but her health status
had been reported several times as being precarious due to apparent
immunodifficiency.  Although many health problems were encountered during
this tenure, they were dealt with immediately due to the expertise of the
now-absent staff.  Young kits produced during this same tenure still survive
at a rate of 44% in the wild, and several females have produced kits of
their own this past Spring.  This is far and away the highest survivorship
ever achieved during the history of the BFF recovery effort and is due in
great part to the innovative techniques conceived by Dean Biggins and
developed and implemented by the former staff and Biggins.
 
    We most urgently request the support of all of you who were so
instrumental in stopping last summer's release of unsuitable ferrets so that
we may at least preserve the lives of those specific animals which continue
to reside in peripheral conditions instead of the security of the proposed
care center.  Older animals have still been included in this year's release
although it is being done in small numbers and in a discreet fashion.  It
has not escaped our attention.  One of these mature animals has already been
listed as deceased.  Although the BFF program is currently under
"restructuring", the theory of quantity over quality persists.  The result
is dead ferrets and lots of them, with little regard for the rarity and
fragility of this species.  In addition, there is no sign that there is any
intention to pursue the only methodology which has thus far proved
successful (i.e.  the methodology developed at the Pueblo facility) Instead,
there is persistence in following low-survival percentage and untried
kit-rearing and-release strategies rather than first fully exploring the
Pueblo method, which is the most promising to date.
 
    It must constantly be emphasized--and this is the very point that seems
to be consistently disregarded by the Service and cooperating agencies--that
we don't have a limitless number of these rare animals.  The continuing
losses of animals at Pueblo, coupled with the protested releases last
summer, amount to 52 endangered animals , to the best of our information.
Although it has been suggested that our numbers are not always accurate, we
assure you that we make diligent attempts to obtain the correct information
and that we do not always receive the cooperation needed to achieve this
accuracy.  In most cases, we speculate that we err on the conservative side.
 
    We continue to fully support the captive breeding, full conditioning by
Pueblo methods, and release of kits (young ferrets fully grown but under one
year of age) into the wild under monitored conditions.  If this cannot be
achieved with the animals seemingly most suited to survival, there seems
little point to risking the lives of older animals, which seem less
responsive to conditioning experiments.  The Society has been relatively
quiet in its posts on the Internet.  We have been busy developing funding
for the care center and for a privately-financed breeding facility.  While
we have had some very encouraging results, details will be forthcoming at a
later date.
 
    It is time for your reactions to be felt once again.  There is no doubt
that faxes have the greatest impact.  Please send them most urgently to:
 
Mr. Ralph Morgenweck, Dir. Region 6, U.S.  Fish and Wildlife
Service, P.O. box 25486, Denver, CO 80226 FAX 303-236-3815
 
MR. Bruce Blanchard, Acting Dir., U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service,
1849 C St.,N.W., Washington, D.C.  20240 FAX 202-208-9695=20
 
Mr. Bruce Babbitt, same address as Blanchard, FAX 202-208-5048
 
Mr. Michael Hutchins, American Zoo and Aquarium Association, 7970-D Old
Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814 FAX 301-907-2980
 
USFWS toll free abuse hotline: 1-800-424-5081
 
NOTE: We apologize for slowness of membership cards.  We struggle with
funding and cards are coming out of L.A. in 3 weeks.  Please send in your
SASE for free membership--all cards going out ASAP.  We must persist now
more than ever.  We need your support and anticipate your continuing
response.  The Society will soon have its own home page and we hope you will
all access it regularly and offer us your input..
 
We are glad to finally be on-line (CompuServe) thanks to Gary Holowicki.
e-mail us at (from Internet): [log in to unmask]; (within
Compuserve) 103211,3070
 
Violence is not strength,  Compassion is not weakness.    From Camelot.
[Posted in FML issue 1388]