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Black Footed Ferret · STEM Archives - The Children's Hour

• 0:00
  They don't go in salad's like carrots. I better stop there it's the end, cause I've run out of words. The end.
• 0:00
  A song about ferrets is Karen Potje. That's from a CD called "Can't Help But Love
• 0:01
  Coming up on the Children's Hour, we're going to explore a creature that used to live throughout
• 0:05
  the grasslands of the United States, the elusive black-footed ferret. It was once declared extinct,
• 0:11
  but now this highly endangered specialist predator may make a comeback in the North American prairie,
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  thanks in part to our guest, Paul Marinari. For years, he was the senior curator at the
• 0:23
  Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at the National Zoo. We'll also have an introduction
• 0:29
  to Elizabeth Ann. A ferret cloned from cells that were frozen in 1987. This episode comes
• 0:36
  with a learning guide. Find it at ChildrensHour.org. Look for black-footed ferrets. The Children's
• 0:41
  Hour is an independent production of The Children's Hour Incorporated, a New Mexico-based nonprofit.
• 0:47
  We're distributed by Native Voice One, the Native American radio network. It's time for
• 0:53
  the Children's Hour. Kids Public Radio. What's brown and sounds like a parrot? I don't know
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  what! A Ferret!
• 1:14
  It's time for Children's Hour. Kids' Public Radio.
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  That's Terri Hendrix from an oldie but goodie called "Celebrate the Difference," her version of "A
• 4:04
  Place in the Choir." I'm Katie Stone. This is the Children's Hour. I'm really glad to be
• 4:10
  with everyone out in listener land and all of you on Zoom. Hello to the kids crew. Hello.
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  And who do we have with us? Hi, it's Kodiak. Hello, it's Amadeus. Hello, it's Zen. Hi, it's
• 4:27
  Evan. Hello, it's Isaac. Hi, it's Ellie May. It's Corbin. Hi, It's Flo. Hi Soleil. Hi, it's Luminata.
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  Sup, it's Kid. Hi, it's Genevieve. Hi, it's Soleg. Hello, it's Liam. Hi, it's Eli. Hi,
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  it's Colton. Hello, it's Lily. Hi, it's Thaniel. Hi, friends, it's Melissa. You all, I am so
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  excited about this show. We're going to learn about black-footed ferrets. Yeah, so cute.
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  Yeah, cutest thing ever. I love them. Let's hear why do you love them, Melissa. I love
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  them because they're very fragile and they like to run inside little tubes. I have a friend
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  that has them. Not only are they adorable, but they are one of the most critically endangered
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  mammals in North America. In fact, black-footed ferrets used to number in the millions. Today,
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  there's less than 1,000 in zoos and in the wild. We're going to be speaking with Dr. Paul E.
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  Marinari. He is a retired senior curator at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute,
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  and that's in the Washington National Zoo. And Mr. Marinari is part of a team of scientists
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  who are saving black-footed ferrets from certain extinction. You're going to find out how black-footed
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  ferrets were declared extinct and yet they were found surviving in Wyoming. So much to learn
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  today about the elusive, beautiful, and rare black-footed ferret. This episode has a learning
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  guide and activities. Find it at childrenshour.org. Look for black-footed ferret. I'm writing
• 6:22
  a song about ferrets. Cool. I love ferrets. There's some kind of rodent, I guess. No, they're
• 6:29
  mustelids. Ferrets rhyme nicely with parrots But parrots and ferrets are really quite different
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  pets. Parrots are feathered and flighty and squawky and even quite talky once they have
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  been taught. Parrots are furry and cuddly and nimbly and nuzzly but quiet they don't talk
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  a lot. Shhh! I'm writing a song about ferrets. I could say I'm not, but I am. I could be poetic and feed them fresh carrots But that
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  would be cheating, cause they prefer jam And Cheerios! Strawberry jam doesn't have all
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  the vitamins carrots are noted for, but But it's yummy! I like jam! When you are writing
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  a song about ferrets you don't make things up I'm writing a song about carrots. They're orange and crunchy
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  and long. They aren't related to weasels, the cousins of ferrets, the subject of this silly
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  song. Weasels are wiggly like ferrets, not orange like carrots, and carrots aren't feathered
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  or furred. Ew, furry carrots! Ferrets are wriggly and lovable. Carrots are vegetables. Parrots
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  are birds. I'm writing a song about ferrets. They shouldn't be paired up with parrots.
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  You Baby." And you are listening to the Children's Hour. I am Katie Stone. Today's show is all about
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  one of the most critically endangered mammals in all of North America, the black-footed ferret.
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  And for those of you like me who love ferrets, who've seen people's pet ferrets, we're going
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  to learn a whole lot more about ferrets. In particular, black-footed ferrets, which used
• 9:00
  to roam wild in New Mexico. And we're going to learn about their curious smell too. Our
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  guest today is the man behind the plan to save black-footed ferrets from extinction. Paul
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  Marinari is a retired senior curator at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
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  That is at the National Zoo outside of Washington, DC. Welcome to the Children's Hour, Mr. Marinari.
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  Thank you everybody for having me. We have a lot we want to learn about black-footed ferrets.
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  And very first of all, we need to know what is a black-footed ferret. Well, a black-footed
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  ferret is North America's actually only ferret species. It's a member of the Mustelidae family.
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  And those are species that usually kind of have that musty smell that you were referring to
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  earlier. And they're really specialist carnivores on prairie dogs. They need prairie dogs to
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  survive, and they're also considered to be more active at night, which makes them a more nocturnal
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  species. So a solitary nocturnal carnivore that lives in the North American prairie. They're
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  very unique to North America and one member of a huge, huge ecosystem of very unique plants
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  and animals that you find here in the U.S. and a little bit of Canada and a little bit of
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  Mexico. Are they related to the pet ferrets that we were hearing Melissa talk about earlier?
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  They definitely are. There's actually only three ferret species in the entire world. There's
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  the North America's black-footed ferret, which is highly endangered. The European polecat
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  is the species Melissa was referring to, and that's the animal or the species that was domesticated
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  thousands of years ago that you see in pet stores. And then the closest living relative to our
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  black-footed ferret is the Siberian polecat. And that species is found in parts of China
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  and Russia. Are the other two species of ferrets worldwide endangered like the black-footed
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  ferret? So black-footed ferrets are endangered because of loss of habitat. They are a specialist
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  and they require prairie dogs and prairie dog colonies for their survival. So those colonies
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  have been greatly reduced. We only have about 2 % of the historic prairie dog populations
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  left in North America. It really ties in. If you lose your food base and your habitat where
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  you live, you can't survive. And that prairie dog habitat has been lost for a number of different
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  reasons. But the primary reason is the introduction of a disease called Sylvatic plague. that wipes
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  out prairie dogs. It's a bacterial disease. It wipes out prairie dogs and black-footed
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  ferrets. And it's one of our biggest obstacles we deal with in management of the species.
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  Wow. There's only 2 % of the prairie dogs left. Here in New Mexico, it just seems like there's
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  millions and millions of prairie dogs everywhere. There used to be billions and billions of prairie
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  dogs. So now we're left with millions of prairie dogs. The black-footed ferret historic range
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  used to be all across the Great Plains in 12 states here in the US, from New Mexico and
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  Arizona and a little bit of northern Mexico, all the way up to Montana and Wyoming and Colorado
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  and Kansas and Texas. So the range was quite large. And basically that range had shrunk
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  down and you ended up with small islands where black-footed ferrets could persist. Unfortunately,
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  that makes them at greater risk to different events and inbreeding and disease. So we're
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  very lucky that the black-footed ferret isn't extinct. I read that black-footed ferrets were
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  down to just seven families of black-footed ferrets left. Is that true? That's not entirely
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  true. We were down to 18 individuals. That's how low the population went. And we believe
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  of those 18 individuals, seven of them had unique genetic material. So we say that we
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  have seven founders, but we were very lucky to rediscover the species and that happened
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  40 years ago. It was actually a ranch dog named Shep. He actually discovered the species. Very,
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  very lucky. How did that happen? That's a great story. So was on a ranch in Wyoming and Shep
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  was outside. and his owners heard him scuffling with an animal. They went out and saw this
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  dead carcass. The rancher tossed it into a brush pile. And the next morning, his wife actually
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  went and looked for it. She found it, brought it to a local taxidermist. And a taxidermist
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  is somebody who stuffs dead animals. And that taxidermist identified it as one of the most
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  endangered species on the planet, the black-footed ferret. And that's what started all of our
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  conservation work with the species. We're talking with Paul Marinari. He is a retired senior
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  curator at the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
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  We'll be right back with more.
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  "The Black-Footed Ferret" is the Whizpops from Ranger Rick's Trail Mix Volume 1 right here on the
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  Children's Hour. I'm Katie Stone. We're learning about black-footed ferrets and with us today
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  is Paul Marinari. He's a retired biologist of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation
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  Biology Institute. Let's go over to Genevieve. What do black-footed ferrets eat? Black-footed
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  ferrets primarily eat prairie dogs. Prairie dogs are a rodent that's found on the North
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  American prairie. That makes up about 90 % of their diet. They would also eat kind of other
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  small mice and some birds, but it's primarily prairie dogs that they need to persist in the
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  wild. And only prairie dogs, they've just got a taste for prairie dogs. Well, there used
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  to be billions and billions of prairie dogs. So black-footed ferrets, as I believe it was
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  Melissa said, was talking about the domestic ferrets being really flexible and bendy. They
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  do have spines, but they are very pliable animals. So the prairie dog burrow system, not only
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  is a place where black-footed ferrets can get their breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but it's
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  also a place where black-footed ferrets can escape from predators like coyotes and different
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  raptors and badgers. So that burrow system is really critical for black-footed ferrets to
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  survive. It's also below ground is kind of a constant temperature. So black-footed ferrets
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  don't hibernate. So they're active year round either in the heat of Arizona and New Mexico
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  or the winters in Montana and Canada. So they evolved to be a specialist on those prairie
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  dogs. Yeah. We're learning about black-footed ferrets today with Paul Marinari, a retired
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  senior curator at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and part of the team that
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  was rescuing black-footed ferrets from certain extinction. There's a lot more coming up right
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  here on The Children's Hour.
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  Well hello, I am a prairie dog, a prairie dog am I. I live in the open grassy plains, beneath
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  the clear blue sky. I like to eat roots, stems and leaves, wherever I can find. Although I have sharp teeth
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  and claws, I'm really very kind. Yes hello, I am a prairie dog, a mammal proud and true.
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  I like to put my head outside and just enjoy the view. I have to watch for snakes and wolves,
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  or they can eat me up. But otherwise I'm really quite a happy prairie pup. You're listening
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  to the Children's Hour, Kids Public Radio. We'll be right back. The Children's Hour is a production
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  of The Children's Hour Incorporated. We're a New Mexico based non-profit organization supported
• 20:12
  by listeners just like you. You can learn more about us at childrenshour.org. Support for
• 20:18
  The Children's Hour provided by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Learn about
• 20:22
  the incredible diversity of New Mexico at newmexicoculture.org. The Children's Hour is grateful to Keshet Dance
• 20:29
  Company and Center for the Arts. They're celebrating 30 years of impact in dance, mentorship, and
• 20:35
  social justice in Albuquerque and beyond. Learn more at KeshetArts.org. Teachers and parents
• 20:40
  listen up because all episodes are now available in Shorts. They each come with a free learning
• 20:48
  guide and activities that meet educational standards. Listen to the Children's Hour Shorts wherever
• 20:55
  you get your podcasts or at ChildrensHour.org slash Shorts.
• 24:42
  Prairie Riddles is Farmer Jason and Iris DeMent from a CD called Nature Jams. Before the break
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  you heard the Prairie Dog song that was by Chris Scott and his second grade daughter Melody
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  recorded back in 2008. You're listening to the Children's Hour and today on the show we have
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  with us Paul Marinari. He's the retired senior curator at Smithsonian Conservation Biology
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  Institute. And he is the man who helped devise the plan to ensure that black-footed ferrets
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  do not become extinct. We have a lot more questions for you from the kids. Let's go to Airdrie.
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  How many babies does black-footed ferrets usually have? Typically, a female black-footed ferret
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  can give birth to an average of three kits per year. We have seen females give birth anywhere
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  from one kit up to 10 kits. That's pretty rare, but the average is between three and four.
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  And we see the same thing of black-footed ferrets in the wild. The ferrets' moms are really,
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  really, really good moms, and they actually can accept kits from other litters. And we
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  often use as a management tool what we call fostering. So we can mix and match and add
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  kits from other females to a litter. We keep track of who the actual parents are, because
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  that's important as we manage the population. But it just gives us a little bit more flexibility
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  in mixing and matching animals, especially when we decide which animals go out for reintroduction.
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  Around how long are black-footed ferrets' lifespans? Black-footed ferrets usually live in the wild
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  between two and three years of age. And in our managed setting at various zoos, have had ferrets
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  live to be eight or nine years of age. We tend to only keep the one to five year olds as part
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  of our breeding programs. And then the older animals are often sent out as educational ambassadors
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  to various zoos throughout the country. Are black-footed ferrets like domestic ferrets in that you can
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  handle them and put them on your neck and they're super cute or are they bitey? They are pretty
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  bitey. We intentionally don't handle or try in any way to domesticate black-footed ferrets
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  because any black-footed ferret born in our breeding program has the potential to be returned
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  to the wild. So we want them to do what ferrets do, which is be a specialized carnivore. When
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  kits are very young, we do pick them up to shift them away from mom. About an age 50 days of
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  age is when they kind of realize that they're black-footed ferrets and they don't want to
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  have anything to do with us. Why do black-footed ferrets have black feet? That is a really good
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  question, Soleil, and one that we really aren't completely sure about. A lot of people have
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  thought that it has something to do with the way that the black-footed ferret can blend
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  into the environment to make it less identifiable to different predators. Other people think
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  that it's something to do with conservation of heat. So the black-footed ferrets kind of
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  curl up and potentially maybe that dark fur is a little warmer, but there's still a lot
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  of questions we don't understand. We are doing our best to map the entire black-footed ferret
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  genome. But pretty much every black-footed ferret that we have had born does have black feet.
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  Those are just a couple of possibilities. It's one of those questions that we don't have a
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  definitive answer on. Are ferrets smart? Well, ferrets are as smart as they need to be. We
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  have released animals that have been born in various zoos back to the wild, and they are
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  pretty quick to adapt and survive back on the prairie. At most of our reintroduction sites,
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  have seen successful births the next year. So we know that black-footed ferrets can really
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  adjust to their surroundings. And it's not so much that they're smart, it's that they are
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  designed and have evolved to do what the species does. The fact that they still exist and the
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  fact that all the kids on the program today have never lived in a world without black-footed
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  ferrets in the wild to really have that piece of the prairie puzzle around for future generations
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  to enjoy. You talked about them being a part of a greater ecosystem or a puzzle, like you
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  said. What part of the puzzle do they fit in? I think that a lot of it has to do with the
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  predator-prey cycle. They are one of the primary predators of prairie dogs in the prairie ecosystem.
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  Obviously, the prairie ecosystem can persist without black-footed ferrets in it. We know
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  that they were extinct in the wild for four years. 1987 and 1991, there were no black-footed
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  ferrets in the wild. That's when those last 18 individuals came into our breeding programs.
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  Black-footed ferrets crossed over the old land bridge that used to exist between what's now
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  Russia and Alaska. There was this basically sea of grass and abundance of prairie dogs
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  and they specialized in that. There used to be hundreds of thousands of black-footed ferrets
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  in the North American prairie. We did get down to zero and we are currently between 300 and
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  400 at our reintroduction sites. We believe we have a couple of sustainable populations,
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  which means we don't have to add additional animals from our breeding centers to those
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  populations. But the biggest obstacle right now is Sylvatic plague, as I mentioned, and
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  that's considered an exotic disease to North America. So it is fatal to them, and it's also
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  fatal to prairie dogs. How do black ferrets protect themselves? So black footed ferrets
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  protect themselves primarily going down and escaping in that burrow system. They basically
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  have some predators that they have to deal with, like coyotes and badgers and raptors. So it's
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  really a very quick reaction time and being flexible, like you had said, that they can
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  really kind of dive into those burrows and really turn around in those burrows. And we're talking
• 31:25
  a prairie dog burrow like about yay big. So like four inches across. Exactly. Yeah. They
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  have really big canines and those are primarily used to go and suffocate prairie dogs. And
• 31:39
  then they consume about one prairie dog every three days. What an awful way to go if you're
• 31:43
  a prairie dog. You're hearing our conversation with Paul Marinari. He's the retired senior
• 31:50
  curator for the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
• 31:56
  at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. There's a learning guide that comes with
• 32:02
  this episode. Find it at childrenshour.org. Look for black-footed ferrets.
• 34:50
  That was Monty Harper and the Richmond Elementary fourth grade class from 2013 "Bring back the Black-footed
• 34:58
  Ferret. You're listening to the Children's Hour and we're talking Black-footed Ferrets today
• 35:02
  with a man who knows so much about them. Paul Marinari is the retired senior curator at the
• 35:10
  Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. And we've posted a lot of photos and links
• 35:16
  and a learning guide for this episode to ChildrensHour.org. Just look for the episode called Black-Footed
• 35:23
  Ferrets. Mr. Marinari, the program to save Black-Footed Ferrets includes cloning. Can you talk a little
• 35:32
  bit about that? We're doing a lot of things with black-footed ferrets to save them from
• 35:36
  extinction. We obviously brought in the 18 last known black-footed ferrets to start a breeding
• 35:42
  program in 1985 to 1987. Through natural breeding where we pair a male black-footed ferret with
• 35:50
  a female black-footed ferret, we have produced over 10,000 kits. We have produced over 150
• 35:58
  kits via assisted reproductive technique of artificial insemination. And our main goal
• 36:05
  is to try and capture as much of the genetic diversity that we have left in this population.
• 36:11
  It's considered a closed population. For genetic management, it means that there are no other
• 36:18
  populations of black-footed ferrets that we know of in the world that are genetically different
• 36:25
  than what we started with, with the Wyoming population. There was a population of ferrets
• 36:31
  that was found in South Dakota in the mid 1960s. That population was studied, but went locally
• 36:40
  extinct. Some were brought in for a breeding program. None of those animals survived. The
• 36:47
  last one in captivity died in 1979 and all of the wild population went extinct. So we only
• 36:54
  have the Wyoming population left. Not all of those animals that were brought in from Wyoming
• 37:00
  went on to successfully reproduce. So their lineage ended. One of those animals whose lineage
• 37:08
  ended, her name was Willa. She produced one kit who never produced anything and then he
• 37:15
  died. So Willa died in 1988. Some of her cells were sent to the Frozen Zoo in San Diego. Another
• 37:24
  one of those early animals that came into the breeding program was named Scarface. And Scarface
• 37:31
  was a really, really good breeder. He has lots of kits and he is well represented in our current
• 37:38
  breeding population. We collected biomaterials as we call them from Scarface and that was
• 37:45
  frozen and went to the cryo repository at the Smithsonian. And in 2010, we resurrected Scarface
• 37:54
  by artificial insemination. And those kits were very, very genetically valuable. Now we go
• 38:00
  back to Willa in San Diego. Those cells from Willa were the cells that were used for cloning.
• 38:07
  We successfully produced one surviving clone. And you may have seen her in the paper, her
• 38:14
  name is Elizabeth Anne, but she is in the pedigree, her mother and her father are Willa. She's
• 38:21
  a duplicate of Willa. So that's all research right now. We're not incorporating any cloned
• 38:29
  animals into our overall managed breeding population. None of the cloned individuals will be going
• 38:36
  out to reintroduction sites. But our overall goal is that at some point in time, we can
• 38:43
  incorporate the genes of Willa, which through our genetic assessment are very, very unique
• 38:50
  and specific, just like we did with Scarface into the population, it basically turns back
• 38:57
  the clock several years genetically. Is it ethical to clone black-footed ferrets? That was actually
• 39:04
  reviewed, and we actually had scientists do a whole investigation on whether not only if
• 39:11
  we have the ability to do something, should we do that? And as a collective group, it was
• 39:17
  decided that we would proceed with that research. And that was all under the permit process of
• 39:23
  the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which owns all black-footed ferrets. So everything we
• 39:28
  do with the ferret goes through review process. The similar things have been asked, is it
• 39:35
  ethical for us in the zoo community to feed black-footed ferrets live prey? Our goal is
• 39:41
  to produce the best possible ferret we can to survive in the wild. And we have found that
• 39:47
  by giving them live prey, helps with their ultimate survival. That's Paul Marinari. He's retired
• 39:55
  now, but he was the senior curator for the Centers for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation
• 40:00
  Biology Institute at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Find pictures, a learning guide, and so
• 40:06
  much more at ChildrensHour.org. fLook for Black-Footed Ferrets. You're listening to the Children's
• 40:12
  Hour Kids Public Radio. We'll be right back. The Children's Hour is making weekly learning
• 40:18
  guides for every episode thanks to the support of the Albuquerque Community Foundation. You
• 40:24
  can support this effort too. Go to childrenshour.org and click donate and find our learning guides
• 40:30
  under our podcast menu. Support for The Children's Hour provided by the City of Albuquerque Cultural
• 40:37
  Services Department and the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund. Hi, I love the Children's Hour
• 40:45
  because it's fun and you go to all sorts of different places. I'm Yoshi James from Australia.
• 40:51
  Take the Children's Hour with you on your road trip. Find us at childrenshour.org or anywhere
• 40:57
  you listen to podcasts.
• 44:14
  That was Mr. T and Friends singing about the topic of the day, black-footed ferrets. And
• 44:20
  over the break, you heard Pottington Bear. Today we're learning about black-footed ferrets,
• 44:24
  which is one of the most critically endangered species of all. And our guests spent a career
• 44:32
  trying to save them from extinction and succeeding. Paul Marinari was the senior curator at the
• 44:38
  Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute before his retirement. The kids have a few more questions
• 44:44
  for you. Let's go to Lily. You said that you are beginning to release the black-footed ferret
• 44:49
  into the wild. And I was wondering if there are laws protecting them for killings of the
• 44:58
  animals. It is illegal to intentionally go out and do harm to a black-footed ferret. But if
• 45:05
  somebody were to accidentally hit one with a car or in any other way, accidentally harm.
• 45:12
  the black-footed ferret, then they wouldn't be held accountable for that. What drew you
• 45:20
  to ferrets, working with ferrets? Like there are so many animals in the animal kingdom,
• 45:24
  but why did you choose specifically ferrets? I was kind of at the right place at the right
• 45:30
  time. I went to graduate school in Wyoming, and that's where black-footed ferrets were
• 45:36
  rediscovered 40 years ago. and I had the opportunity to do a research project on black-footed ferrets.
• 45:44
  I then had numerous jobs in different federal agencies and made really a conscious decision
• 45:51
  to focus and really try and become one of the world's experts on black-footed ferrets. And
• 45:58
  that happened to pan out. So I oversaw the large breeding facility that's overseen by the US
• 46:05
  Fish and Wildlife Service. and had the opportunity to return animals back to the wild. So I've
• 46:10
  been working with the black-footed ferret for over 30 years. It was really the sea slug that
• 46:16
  kind of inspired me to be a biologist when I was in third grade, because I did a report
• 46:21
  on sea slugs and I thought that was really cool. So everybody has kind of their own path to
• 46:27
  where they are. And really I just found ferrets very interesting and decided to really put
• 46:34
  all my effort into trying to save that species for the most part. Is there anything that we
• 46:40
  can do to help? That's a great question. I think just by having this conversation and learning
• 46:45
  about black-footed ferrets is a great way to help. Also, I recommend going to your local
• 46:52
  zoo or aquarium or nature center, sharing this information with your fellow classmates about
• 46:59
  prairie animals. It doesn't just have to be black-footed ferrets. It could be any animal
• 47:04
  or plant that's in trouble. Talking with your parents and if you have an apartment or a house
• 47:11
  or a townhouse or wherever you live, there are things that you can do to help local wildlife.
• 47:17
  I think those are some of the best things you can do. And then when you get a little older,
• 47:21
  you can go to school and then you can start studying black-footed ferrets and being experts
• 47:27
  in the field. Our guest is Paul Marinari. He's the retired senior curator for the Center for
• 47:33
  Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at the National Zoo. Thank
• 47:38
  you so much for being with us on the Children's Hour. Thank you all very much. Thank you.
• 47:44
  Bye. There's a lot more to learn about black-footed ferrets and you can find that in our learning
• 47:49
  guide posted with this episode at ChildrensHour.org. Look for black-footed ferrets. Coming up, we've
• 47:55
  got a recap on Black-footed ferret cloning with the Extinction Diaries. Stick with us.
• 51:10
  Extinction Diaries There's a new black-footed ferret on planet Earth. Her name is Elizabeth
• 51:16
  Anne and she is a clone, the very first one of an endangered species and she is packed
• 51:20
  with hope for the black-foots and the entire science of saving species from extinction.
• 51:24
  Elizabeth is the pride and joy of the organization Revive and Restore, whose mission is to bring
• 51:30
  back species from the brink of extinction. She was cloned from cells that have been frozen
• 51:34
  since 1988, underscoring the potential of this technology. Black-footed ferrets were thought
• 51:39
  to be extinct long before that, but a small population was discovered in 1981 and protected.
• 51:44
  However, because of the small number, all the babies bred are known as half siblings and
• 51:49
  vulnerable to disease. Elizabeth represents a break from that. The cloned Elizabeth hopefully
• 51:54
  has the genetic diversity that can be reintroduced into the black-footed population. There is
• 51:58
  hope and humanity must continue to fight for each and every animal of every species at this
• 52:03
  point. We are in the sixth great extinction. My name is Arne Oliveira and this is a Small
• 52:08
  World Radio Production.
• 54:21
  Walkin' Jim Stoltz from a CD called Web of Life. That's the Prairie Dog Song. And The Extinction
• 54:29
  Diaries came to us out of KFOI in Redding and Red Bluff, California. Before that, out of
• 54:35
  the UK, Johnny and the Raindrops with Animals in Danger. We're gonna go out with the Okie
• 54:43
  Dokie brothers. Thanks for listening to The Children's Hour. We'll catch you next time.
• 58:01
  The Children's Hour is produced by The Children's Hour Incorporated, a New Mexico non-profit.
• 58:06
  You can find photos, playlists, learning guides, and activities for every episode at Children'sHour.org.
• 58:13
  This episode of The Children's Hour was written and produced by me, Katie Stone, with production
• 58:18
  help from Sarah Gabrielli, Mackenzie Gronke, and Isaac Lacerda. Our learning guides are
• 58:23
  written by Amber Scheele. You can find this one at Children'sHour.org. Look for black-footed
• 58:29
  ferrets. Find our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts or go to our patreon.com slash
• 58:35
  The Children's Hour. Or ask your smart speaker to play The Children's Hour podcast. Our theme
• 58:42
  music was written by C.K. Barlow. The Children's Hour is distributed by Native Voice One, the
• 58:48
  Native American radio network. Thanks for listening to The Children's Hour, kids' public radio.