An American black-footed ferret opened a new path for conservation
The US Fish & Wildlife Service announced a significant breakthrough in conservation efforts: the first time a cloned specimen of an American endangered species produces offspring.
Cloned black-footed ferret Antonia (pictured) mated with Urchin, a 3-year-old male, and had two healthy kits. She became a beacon of hope for a new path in conservation biology.
Photo: Roshan Patel / Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute CC BY 4.0
According to a press release, the cloning and mating occurred at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia.
The Fish & Wildlife Service said Antonia gave birth to three kits, but only two survived. Luckily, as shown in the photo, they are thriving under the care of the NZCBI personnel.
Photo: Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute / Public Domain
The service clarified that the kits and Antonia will remain at the center, and there are no plans to release them into the wild. They will live under observation to further advance conservation.
Cloning is only one of the experts' strategies to rescue the black-footed ferret, along with habitat restoration, disease management, and reintegration into the wild.
Antonia was part of a successful cloning program. Tissue samples were collected in 1988 from a black-footed ferret named Willa. The program produced three clones: Elizabeth Ann, Noreen (pictured), and Antonia.
Photo: Kika Tuff / Revive & Restore, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Conservation of the species started in that decade when a dog discovered a small population of black-footed ferrets in Wyoming. Before that, researchers thought they were extinct.
However, conservation efforts have been challenging because the wild population was small, most of the black-footed ferrets living today descend from it, and genetic diversity is scarce.
That promotes many issues for black-footed ferret individuals. According to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, diseases complicate recovery efforts. The IUCN says there are only 206 individuals.
The species was very common in the Great Plains but decreased dramatically after European settlers arrived, nearly disappearing in the 20th century.
The dramatic decline in the ferret's population was due to eradication campaigns against the prairie dog, the ferret's main prey, and the destruction of its habitat.