The black-footed ferret was thought extinct — until a Wyoming rancher rediscovered it, in 1981. Since then, conservation workers have been doggedly attempting to save the ferret, only to run into big problems like, oh, the literal bubonic plague. We’re still spending millions every year attempting, hope against hope, to save the ferrets. How much should we spend to save an endangered species — and is it ever time to give up?
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Further reading:
The Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in Wellington, Colorado
Earl Gustkey, in 1985, explains the then-recent rediscovery of the black-footed ferret for the LA Times
Morgan Heim explains the reintroduction process in Smithsonian magazine
Revive & Restore’s project to save the black-footed ferret with CRISPR
More of Vox’s effective altruism coverage
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