Georgia and Peanut Have Left the Building

In case you haven't been keeping your eye on the progress of Peanut and his mom, Georgia, they both have been transferred to the larger black-footed ferret (BFF) breeding facility in Colorado. Peanut will offer his extremely valuable genetics to future kits and Georgia will be prepped for release into the wild.

We knew that Peanut would be moving to the facility, however, unless I missed it on the CRC/National Zoo website, there was no mention that Georgia would be moved, let alone be prepared for eventual release into the wild. When I first learned of this via the sign placed in their nesting box as seen on the ferret cam, I was a bit alarmed. All of us who have been following the growth of Peanut as a kit and Georgia as a mom have, I'm sure, become somewhat attached to them.

Now that it has sunk in to a degree, this is exactly what the program is all about. Breeding the BFF, getting them ready for release and then letting them go. This is the recovery process. Recovery is not possible without this process. We all hope that Peanut will rear plenty of strong, capable kits and that Georgia will take to her "training" well and find the wild a fun, hospitable place that she can call home. I will probably wonder and think about Peanut and Georgia for quite some time.

It was a joy to actually see Peanut from the very first hour of birth grow into a feisty, playful, mischievous ferret that seemed to love his mom more and more everyday. And, Georgia, how caring and tender she treated Peanut and how tolerant she seemed to be of his constant nagging to play when all she wanted to do was get some sleep. It has been an education for all of us.

There will be a new BFF placed in the ferret cam nesting box (tonight at some point according to the CRC) and her name is Tilly.

We will be attending the Autumn Conservation Festival at the CRC this Sunday. Hope to see lots of people there.