The WildLife Podcast: Black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs with Defenders of Wildlife’s Chamois Andersen

The Wildlife Podcast Episode 3: Saving the Black-Footed Ferret

Delve deep into prairie secrets as we discover the startling connection between black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs and their importance for the preservation of the United State’s prairie habitat.

Did you know that more than a hundred different species rely on the North American prairie dog, and that it isn’t even a dog at all? Black-footed ferrets are one of them and are also the rarest mammals in North America, with only 300 left in the wild. They face a range of threats from habitat loss to fatal diseases, but there is hope!

In this episode join Laurel Neme and Jeffrey Barbee as we work with this week’s conservation hero Chamois Andersen, Senior Representative for the Rockies and Plains Program for the non-profit Defenders of Wildlife. Because the black-footed ferret's survival is intertwined with the health of their main prey—prairie dogs—helping these carnivorous predators of the prairie also means focusing on the sustainability of prairie dog colonies, too.

Guest: Chamois Andersen, Senior Representative for the Rockies and Plains Program for Defenders of Wildlife

How can you help preserve prairie dogs where you are?

Get the toolkit here and get to work, there are all sorts of resources for kids and adults to support this critical work:

https://www.prairiedogcoalition.org/for-agencies-decision-makers

Support and Donate to Defenders of Wildlife:

https://defenders.org/

Support The Prairie Dog Coalition:

https://www.prairiedogcoalition.org/

Why Restore the prairie dogs' habitat? Learn more here:

https://www.prairiedogcoalition.org/why-restore-prairie-dogs

Read all about black-footed ferrets:

https://defenders.org/wildlife/black-footed-ferret