(Audubon & Bachman, 1851) |Black-footed ferret range (three
small areas on USA territory)| The black-footed ferret (Mustela
nigripes), also known as the American polecat or prairie dog
hunter, is a species of Mustelid native to central North
America. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its
very small and restricted populations. First discovered by
Audubon and Bachman in 1851, the species declined throughout the
20th century, primarily as a result of decreases in prairie dog
populations and sylvatic plague. It was declared extinct in 1979
until Lucille Hogg's dog brought a dead black-footed ferret to
her door in Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981. That remnant population
of a few dozen ferrets lasted there until the animals were
considered extinct in the wild in 1987. However, a captive
breeding program launched by the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service resulted in its reintroduction into eight western states
and Mexico from 1991–2008. There are now over 1,000 mature,
wild-born individuals in the w