Smithsonian Ferret Cam

I love ferrets. We’ve had the opportunity to pet-sit them a couple of times for friends and they’re such sweet little things. What keeps us from getting any of our own is the age-old issue of scent. My husband had two ferrets at two separate times before we met and he said that even though they were “de-scented” they were still pretty odorous.

Oh well. I can now get my fix from the Smithsonian’s Ferret Cam! Georgia, a black-footed ferret, gave birth on June 20th. This is a big deal because The National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia have been breeding the ferrets for the last 20 years in an effort to keep the animals off the brink of extinction. Black-footed ferrets are actually considered extinct in the wild because they currently survive only in captivity. This year alone 21 females were bred at CRC, four by artificial insemination and 17 by natural pairings. So far four ferrets have given birth!

In the screenshot above you can see what a good mom Georgia is as she gives her little kit a bath. It won’t develop its markings for a while yet.

[image: screenshot]