The third Friday of each May is Endangered Species Day, a day to learn more about protecting threatened and endangered species. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, an extraordinary piece of legislation that showed our commitment as a nation to the conservation of the creatures we share this planet with and has saved many, including this one.

This picture, taken back in 2017 and not shared until today, was the first time I photographed a black-footed ferret. To say I was excited would be, well, a huge understatement.

These little creatures were, in fact, declared extinct in 1979 but two years later, a small population was found in Wyoming. They were captured and since then, conservation and captive breeding programs run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have allowed small populations of the black-footed ferret to return to the wild. It is heartening to see such dedicated efforts being taken to right a wrong.

Finally! It had been almost two years since I saw one of these little guys and Saturday I finally got another chance. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously foggy and the light was pretty cruddy but I will take any chance I can get with one of North America’s most endangered mammals.

I initially spotted it popping its little head up from a prairie dog burrow a good ways off in the distance. For 20 minutes, it sat there surveying, watching and waiting for a prairie dog to appear.

Finally, it decided it was time to be more active and started running around, checking other burrows for a meal. It did eventually disappear in a burrow, whether that one contained breakfast or not I don’t know.

Another encounter with North America’s most endangered mammal. I have been pretty fortunate to have seen these little guys a few times over the past six months or so.

Most of the sightings, like this one, have been from a pretty long distance and in poor light. Nevertheless, it is a real treat to see something so rare. This past Saturday, this one was hanging out, hovering over a prairie dog burrow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t too inclined to do much as for more than an hour it did nothing more than what you see in the image – just sit there and look around. Nevertheless, I will take what I can get when it comes to these guys.

Once numerous, the small animals were harvested for the fur trade. That, coupled with a loss of habitat and disease, resulted in a declining population and it was eventually declared extinct in 1979. Two years later, a small population of the animal was discovered on a private ranch in Wyoming and a captive breeding program was launched.

Since then, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been gradually releasing the black-footed ferret in eight states in what was once its native region. It was introduced to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado in October 2015 and by all accounts, the program has been successful.

Always such a thrill to get to see North America’s most endangered mammal and this was on opportunity I almost missed.

I was about 30 miles south when I got the word from a friend that there was a black-footed ferret out at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Since my chosen photo spot for the day was turning out to be a dud, I high-tailed it north (adhering to all appropriate traffic laws of course – haha).

I arrived just in time to see the predator make a dash and stop briefly to size up a nearby prairie dog. The prairie dog was well aware it was being stalked but it lucked out on this day. The ferret apparently decided it was time for a nap instead, running over to burrow and disappearing.

I waited for another hour or so but it never emerged again. Unfortunately the action was a good ways away but I’ll take what I can get when it comes to these little guys.

An absolute treat to get to see North America’s most endangered mammal and I almost missed it!

This past Friday my photo excursion took me south of Denver following a tip for a bobcat sighting. I spent three hours trying to find the cats to no avail. In the meantime, my friend was photographing a black-footed ferret some 30 miles away, sending me messages about the experience and driving me insane.

I finally gave up and raced north, hoping I would make it in time. Thankfully I did and was able to spend 20 minutes or so with this cool creature before it hunkered down in a burrow, not to be seen again that day.

The ferret wasn’t particularly active in that it didn’t do any hunting but it did give me some nice poses. The light was harsh by the time I got there and it was a bit of a long shot but I was happy. I have only seen these guys a few times, the most recent more than a year and a half ago, so it was definitely something to be excited about.

Once thought extinct, conservation and captive breeding programs run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have allowed small populations of the black-footed ferret to return to the wild. It is heartening to see such dedicated efforts being taken to right a wrong.

Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

It had been more than a year since I last saw North America’s most endangered mammal, the black-footed ferret. This past Saturday morning, I had a very brief but very fun encounter.

As I was driving along, I saw its white and black face pop up out of a burrow. I initially dismissed it as a prairie dog but then my brain started yelling, “That is not a prairie dog!”

I came to a stop, backed up slowly and the little guy gave me a few quick poses before disappearing into its home. The visit was brief but I was ecstatic to have been given the opportunity to see such a rare creature again.

Once thought extinct, conservation and captive breeding programs run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have allowed small populations of the black-footed ferret to return to the wild. It is heartening to see such dedicated efforts being taken to right a wrong.

Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.

If you are interested in owning a copy of this cute little dude (or dudette), I have it available in my online store. You can select everything from just a standard paper print to one with framing to metal prints. At checkout, if you use discount code FZPNMB, it will take 50% off my markup on whatever you choose.

Assembling my images for my 2017 photo book and you can be guaranteed there will be a few shots of this rare creature. The Black-footed Ferret is North America’s rarest animal and my encounter with this one in April was definitely ‘one for the books.’

Myself and a few other photographers were lucky enough to spend more than three hours watching it as it went around to various Prairie Dog burrows looking for something to eat. Few people have had the privilege of seeing this endangered species in the wild so I definitely count myself lucky.

The Black-footed Ferret is a rarity on the Great Plains and the only ferret native to North America. Once numerous, the small animals were harvested for the fur trade. That, coupled with a loss of habitat and disease, resulted in a declining population and it was eventually declared extinct in 1979.

Two years later, a small population of the animal was discovered on a private ranch in Wyoming and a captive breeding program was launched. Since then, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been gradually releasing the Black-footed Ferret in eight states in what was once its native region.

It was introduced to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado in October 2015 and by all accounts, the program has been successful.

Last month I was fortunate enough to spot one. An exciting – and humbling – encounter that served as a reminder of how careful we must be with our actions and how they affect the flora and fauna around us.

I reckon if you had a half dozen giddy photographers gathered around you furiously clicking their shutters, you probably would wonder what the heck was going on too.

This endangered little one has absolutely no idea how special he (or she) is. However, those of us that were privileged enough to spend a couple of hours with it will never forget the experience.

Once thought extinct, reintroduction efforts have seen some of these cute ones released into the wild and so far, the program has been quite successful. There are however only a few hundred in the wild so getting to see one is a rare and special event.