The black-footed ferret originally occurred in the Great Plains. It declined during the first half of the 20th century and by the late 1970s was thought to be extinct. In 1981, a ranch dog in northwestern Wyoming killed one, an event which led to the discovery of a colony of about 130 ferrets on the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse in 1984. Jack Turnell managed the Pitchfork Ranch at that time. Outbreaks of plague and canine distemper killed nearly all of the Meeteetse population so the remaining 18 ferrets were captured and taken to a captive breeding facility in Sybille Canyon. In 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Dept., and American Zoo and Aquarium Association initiated a captive breeding program. In 1991, the first captive-bred ferrets were reintroduced into natural habitats in the Shirley Basin area.
From the description of Jack Turnell's Black-footed Ferret papers, 1978-1997. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 62618568
