( Part 1 appeared in Ferret Digest, Dec. 14 issue)
 
And now, two days before Thanksgiving, a disaster at Pueblo.  You may
recall, the professional staff which had been at Pueblo for four years and
had an unblemished record in the care of more than 150 animals at the
location, departed abruptly in May, 1995.  The vet tech, working full time
with no pay, was dismissed for objecting to the release of older ferrets she
found to be physically debilitated.  Her dismissal was protested by the
resident wildlife biologist, who immediately resigned.  The care of the
animals was turned over, within hours, to inexperienced personnel originally
sent to Pueblo to do construction.
 
The scene was set for disaster, and just before Thanksgiving, Pueblo
personnel took a chance, feeding questionable, processed prairie dog meat to
the entire BFF breeding colony.  Within a couple days, all were dying--and
yet still unnoticed by their keepers--hemorraghing in their nest boxes and
pen burrow systems, beyond treatment and often beyond reach, from what was
found to be sylvatic (bubonic) plague incubating within the contaminated
meat.  SPCBFF principals knew each of these animals personally.  Among them
was Sarafina, released into the wild in 1991 and twice rescued when found
starving to death.  She came to Pueblo to serve as an education animal, and
later she was pressed into the breeding pool when females were in short
supply.  She raised two kits in 1994 and four in 1995.  They were released
in Montana, and with the stunning survival rates of Pueblo "educated" kits,
may still be living out there.
 
In the six months since the professional staff was outsted from Pueblo, for
exercising the same good judgement upon which their absentee supervisors had
relied for four years, the replacement personnel has killed more than 31
rare, endangered ferrets.  The question is, "How many ferrets do you need to
kill before you lose your job?".
 
Discussions at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association conferences are
disappointing and discouraging.  Little credence is paid the innovative and
promising work done over the years at Pueblo.  Even with the survival
statistics far outreaching anything previously accomplished in the release
phase of the recovery effort, and with two and perhaps three wild-born
litters confirmed this Spring, the new USFWS solution to ferret
reintroduction this Fall is the slaughter of predators (coyotes) from the
air and the erection of electric fences.  While this may lead to higher
survival rates among naiive ferret kits, there is a serious question of
ethics raised by these activities.  It also seems to be totally
backwards--altering the habitat instead of preparing BFF kits to deal with
the realities of their wild existence.
 
Perhaps this post is more than long enough, and we will be more
consciencious by containing ourselves to our own home page soon, but it
would seem that this is an issue of which we all need to be aware.  In
closing, as an update on the proposal made so long ago, for the housing and
care of non-releasable BFFs; this was re-proposed in October of 1995 and
there has been no response whatsoever from the USFWS.  We are now turning to
private resources to fund this important project, as well as the
construction and operation of a privately-run captive breeding and
preconditioning (kit education) facility.  If reason does not speak, perhaps
the financially strained USFWS will listen to the sound of money.
 
      Carolyn Kinsey, President
      Society for the Protection and Conservation of the Black-Footed Ferret
(If you are interested in becoming a member of the SPCBFF, send a SASA to
SPCBFF, 140 W. 29th St., Suite 191, Pueblo, CO 81008. There is no fee.)
[Posted in FML issue 1419]