# @thetorontozoo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DPENgFhiUnS
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35026929-thetorontozoo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/54b679c5f6.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-09-26T12:40:37.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Toronto Zoo (@thetorontozoo) — https://gondola.cc/thetorontozoo

## Caption

It’s #BlackFootedFerretDay 🐾

We are proud to share that since 1993, more than 80% of the 502 black-footed ferrets born in Toronto have been released into the wild to support the recovery of this endangered North American species. Once extinct in the wild, the species has rebounded through intensive conservation breeding and through reintroduction to the prairie lands in North America. 

This recovery is coordinated by the usfws and the zoos_aquariums SAFE Black-footed Ferret program (previously the Species Survival Plan), which unites accredited zoos across North America. Current counts show 300+ black-footed ferrets living in the wild, with at least four self-sustaining populations. Reintroduction continues to support populations not yet self-sustaining while restoring the ferret’s historical range.

Four female ferrets at your Toronto Zoo successfully raised litters in 2025, totalling 18 kits (11 males and 7 females). Almost half of these kits belong to a single litter! 

Meet the 2025 kits:

Litter #1 – 6 males, 2 females (born July 1, 2025)
Parents: Mom Seal and dad Domino

🐾 Kraken
🐾 Sockeye Sam-on
🐾 Bufflehead
🐾 Wolf eel
🐾 Narwhal
🐾 Irukandji
🐾 Coral
🐾 Minnow

Litter #2 – 2 males, 4 females (born July 2, 2025)
Parents: Mom Sheepstealer and dad Lil G

🐾 Mugsy
🐾 Bannock
🐾 Nanaimo
🐾 Poutine
🐾 Tourtiere
🐾 T-dot

Litter #3 – 1 male, 2 females (born July 2, 2025)
Parents: Mom Sea Cucumber and dad Talo

🐾 Barnacle
🐾 Pocket Shark
🐾 Abalone

Litter #4 – 1 female (born July 2, 2025)
Parents: Mom Madison and dad Umlaut

🐾 Kyla

Preparations are currently underway for these kits, as well as the breeding adults, to travel to the Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado as the program draws to a conclusion here at your Toronto Zoo. Some ferrets will join the breeding program there, but most will undergo training prior to being releases to the wild.

Guests and members travelling through the Americas Pavilion will still be able to view a black-footed ferret. There, she will serve as an important ambassador for her counterparts in the wild. #savingspecies

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## Tags

3, 2, savingspecies, blackfootedferretday, 1, 4

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