Now the summer breeding season is here, animal welfare groups report a huge influx of lost, stray or abandoned ferrets, often pregnant jills (females) whose owners can’t cope with extra kits, or hobs (males) who have marshalled their notorious escapology skills to go in search of a mate.
Black-footed ferret recovery efforts aimed at increased genetic diversity and disease resistance took a bold step forward on Dec. 10, with the birth of Elizabeth Ann, created from the cells of Willa, a black-footed ferret that lived more than 30 years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.