TOPEKA – The most endangered animal on the North American continent is native to Kansas. Once thought to be extinct, a lone colony of Black Footed Ferrets was discovered. United States Fish and Wildlife along with other conservation partners, including the Topeka Zoo, worked to breed the nearly extinct species and reintroduce it back to the wild.

The story of the Black-footed Ferret will launch a new Conservation Lecture Series presented by the Topeka Zoo focusing on local, national and international conservation stories. The zoo will utilize guest speakers specializing in selected topics for each presentation.

The presentations will occur on the second Thursday of every other month of 2013, beginning in January. Each presentation will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Gary K. Clarke Living Classroom at the Topeka Zoo.

The first program of the zoo’s Conservation Series, The Reintroduction of the Black Footed Ferret, will be presented by Dan Mulhern, supervisor of the Manhattan office of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service, at 6:30pm on Thursday, January 10th. Admission for the program is free.

Dan Mulhern has supervised the re-introduction of Black Footed Ferrets back into the Kansas landscape since the re-introduction program began in 2007. He will share the events that impacted the Black Footed Ferret species, once listed as extinct. He will tell the amazing story of the rediscovery of a small colony of these ferrets and the breeding program that ultimately came to include the re-introduction of these amazing animals back into Kansas. He will also share the on-going efforts to ensure the survival of the Black Footed Ferret as a Kansas animal.