What happens once a black-footed ferret is trapped?
Upon capture, biologists determine if an animal is a wild born or a captive bred ferret. If the animal is wild born, it is anesthetized and a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag is inserted just below the skin. The PIT tag allows the animal to be uniquely identified upon recapture. After the animal recovers from anesthesia, it is released in the same burrow where it was trapped. Future Spotlighting/Volunteer Opportunities: Two large spotlighting events are conducted in the fall and spring to assess the population of ferrets in the Aubrey Valley. Additional smaller spotlighting efforts are conducted monthly by biologists. The purpose of the large, annual spring event is to assess the survival rate of the ferrets after the winter and the number of animals that are breeding candidates. The large, annual fall event is to assess the population after the breeding season by trapping and processing dispersing juveniles. To learn more about spotlighting or to be notified of upcoming events
