Endangered black-footed ferret found in Pueblo West man’s garage

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO) -- An endangered black-footed ferret is back in the wild after finding itself in someone's garage.

Monday, a man called Colorado Parks and Wildlife after discovering a black-footed ferret in his garage. By the time CPW officers arrived, the homeowner had coaxed the ferret into a box.

According to CPW, the home is near Walker Ranch. Two weeks ago, CPW released nine black-footed ferrets on a 1,600-acre prairie dog colony south of Highway 50 on the ranch as part of a major conservation

CPW says each black-footed ferret released has a passive integrated transponder microchip, called a PIT tag, between its shoulder blades. Biologists can use a scanning device to read the PIT tags and identify the animals.

Wildlife officers contacted the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and an officer responded with a portable scanner. The examination found the ferret was among the nine released in the area.

Before being released, photos of the ferret were sent to a Fish and Wildlife Services biologist. The biologist determined the ferret appeared healthy and could be taken back to the prairie dog colony.

Watch video of the black-footed ferret release taken by @COParksWildlife Officer Cassidy English after she and Officer Travis Sauder hiked deep into a prairie dog colony in the dark Monday on the Walker Ranch near Pueblo West. (3/4) pic.twitter.com/fWfryRFay7

— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) November 10, 2021

“We don’t know exactly why this black-footed ferret left the colony,” said Ed Schmal, CPW conservation biologist. “We put them into prairie dog burrows but they may not stay. Sometimes they scramble around the colony to find the right home. This one might have gotten pushed out by other ferrets and it went looking for a new home. We really don’t know.”

According to CPW, this situation was "extremely rare." Schmal said black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and extremely shy.

Schmal went on to say he's thankful the black-footed ferret appeared to be healthy and was able to return to the colony.

Since 2013, CPW has released dozens of black-footed ferrets on Walker Ranch. According to CPW, the black-footed ferret is the "rarest mammal" in North America.

Colorado is among eight states involved in helping save the species.

For more information on the black-footed ferret, click here.