On Saturday, November 15, we unveiled an exciting (and adorably furry!) new addition to the National Discovery Center: a live, endangered black-footed ferret on loan from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado. This exhibit is home to one of approximately 600 ferrets alive today, of which a few dozen serve as “education ambassadors” to conservation-focused organizations around the U.S. and Canada. American Prairie is honored to be one of the host sites for North America’s most endangered mammal.
During Saturday’s event, American Prairie’s education staff offered face painting, mask making, a photo-op with American Prairie’s six-foot-tall ferret mascot, and a chance to vote on a name for the new live ferret. Earlier this fall we invited local schools and their students to participate in a black-footed ferret themed coloring and drawing contest (winners from three different age groups receive a new bike!) – entries were posted on the windows of the National Discovery Center for our visitors to enjoy.
In the afternoon, we hosted a series of presentations about black-footed ferret restoration – video from the afternoon session is included below! We wrapped up the day with a screening of the documentary “Ferret Town” from Caldera Productions.
Can’t get enough of the new black-footed ferret? You’re in luck: the exhibit space includes two live webcams, streaming 24/7 to our website. Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal though, so our new BFF is likely to be asleep during normal daylight hours. We’ve noticed he’s pretty active around 8 or 9 p.m. Montana time!
