34 of North America’s most endangered mammals were just born right here in Phoenix. The Phoenix Zoo welcomed 34 black-footed ferret kits across 7 litters, marking its most successful breeding year for the species since 1999. Black-footed ferrets were once believed to be extinct. Today, the Phoenix Zoo is one of only five facilities in the world breeding them as part of a conservation program designed to return the species to the wild. Most of the newborn kits spent their first three months with their mothers before being transferred to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility, where they’ll learn how to hunt live prey and prepare for eventual release. Some will remain in the breeding program to help protect the species’ genetic diversity. The Phoenix Zoo has now helped welcome more than 700 black-footed ferrets over the last 34 years, with many later released into prairie habitats across Arizona and other parts of their native range. Not bad for a species people once thought was ...