Follow that Ferret

On September 4, the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center launched “Follow the Ferret" on Facebook.

This fun outreach tactic allows the public to follow a few of these undeniably cute endangered critters from birth in captivity to release in the wild. 

Here's a pic of a wee one:

Month-old black-footed ferret born in captivity to be released in the wild (photo courtesty of the USFWS).

I know you just cooed, "Awwww."

Who could resist?

According to the BFF Conservation Center, we'll get to see weekly shots of the ferrets as they grow, learn essential ferret skills from their mom, and finally run free on the Utah prairie.
 
That's what I call a great use of social media.

Read my latest article on About.com to learn more about how black-footed ferrets nearly went extinct and are now re-staking their claim on North America's wild prairies. Here's the link: Black-footed Ferrets: Reclaiming the Prairie

Grow, Baby, Grow!

The giant panda cub that was born at the San Diego Zoo in July is pushing five pounds! Considering the many unsuccessful attempts that have been made to breed pandas in captivity, every pound this little one gains is cause for celebration. 

Week-old panda cub at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Photo by Colegota and post-processed with The GIMP [CC-BY-SA-2.5-es] / Wikimedia Commons

It sounds like his momma, Bai Yun, is doing a beautiful job caring for her cub. Let's hear it for maternal instinct! According to zoo officials, she has even started taking the little fellow out of the den when she needs a bite of bamboo.

This pint-sized panda epitomizes the value of captive breeding, which has been responsible for saving endangered animals from extinction and reintroducing many species to the wild.

Keep your ears open in November when the cub's name will be revealed. The zoo is waiting until he reaches 100 days old in keeping with Chinese tradition.