U.S. Senator Criticizes Efforts to Save Black Footed Ferret
News from Rapid City, South Dakota
As with the domestic ferret, Black- Footed Ferrets face opposition from some government officials.
Efforts to save the Black-Footed Ferret are the subject of criticism according to an article in the Rapid City Journal on August 31, 2016
When speaking about the Endangered Species Act, U.S. Senator, Mike Rounds, stated that the high protection of the black-footed ferret is an example of a costly project with little return.
He said of the efforts to save the black- footed Ferret: “Millions of dollars have been spent for a species with little incline in population.”
Noreen Walsh, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was questioned in regard to the efforts to save the black-footed ferret and she defended the protective listing of black-footed ferrets. She said this endangered animal is “on the road to recovery but not there yet.”
She said the wildlife service is in the experimental phase of a program that could help bring the black-footed ferret’s population up to where they can be removed from the Endangered Species List.
According to Noreen Walsh, that program would include:
- The possible vaccination of the black-footed ferret from disease
- The recruitment of farmers willing to have prairie dogs on their land as prey for the ferrets
- Creating buffer zones around ranches with prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets
When this U.S. Senator Criticizes Efforts to Save Black Footed Ferrets, he is clearly saying black-footed ferrets are not worth the cost.
But when the delicate balance of nature is disrupted,especially when a species becomes extinct, the results may have long reaching, devastating results.
What is the cost of not saving them?
Your comments are welcome.
