As recently as 1996, the black-footed ferret, North America's only native ferret species, was listed as "extinct in the wild", with only captive individuals surviving in zoos and captive rearing programs. In 2002, 223 ferrets were released in Wyoming in an attempt to re-establish a wild population. Of these only 68 individuals survived the winter into 2003. By 2010, conservation biologists counted 760 ferrets, with an estimated annual growth rate of 0.35, one of the highest of any endangered species managed under the Endangered Species Act. The status of black-footed ferrets will be reevaluated and potentially downgraded from "critically endangered" to "endangered" once their population size exceeds 2000 individuals. Assuming no change to their annual growth rate in 2010, in what calendar year (in AD) would this occur?

Question

Mike Andersen

Biology

30 August, 05:25

As recently as 1996, the black-footed ferret, North America's only native ferret species, was listed as "extinct in the wild", with only captive individuals surviving in zoos and captive rearing programs. In 2002, 223 ferrets were released in Wyoming in an attempt to re-establish a wild population. Of these only 68 individuals survived the winter into 2003. By 2010, conservation biologists counted 760 ferrets, with an estimated annual growth rate of 0.35, one of the highest of any endangered species managed under the Endangered Species Act. The status of black-footed ferrets will be reevaluated and potentially downgraded from "critically endangered" to "endangered" once their population size exceeds 2000 individuals. Assuming no change to their annual growth rate in 2010, in what calendar year (in AD) would this occur?

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Isaac Robertson · Answer 1

Abstract. The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) went extinct in the wild when the last 18 known ferrets were captured for a captive-breeding program. Following the success of the captive-breeding program, 146 genetically nonessential ferrets were released at the Conata Basin, South Dakota, from 1996 to 1999