Black-footed ferrets are born blind but grow up to become fierce, albeit small, nighttime predators. Many of the endangered animals are born in captivity; about 300 live in the wild, according to the Associated Press.
The last wild surviving ferrets were found in Wyoming in Meeteetse in 1981 and were eventually captured and put into a Wyoming Game and Fish Department breeding program. Since then, other captive breeding programs have been started around the country. In Wyoming, ferrets have been transplanted to the Shirley Basin and, just this year, back to Meeteetse.
In Colorado, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 28 black-footed ferrets at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in 2015. A recent survey found 47, including 20 of the original 28, the AP reported.
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