Paul Marinari saves species
Paul E. Marinari, Senior Curator at the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute, has been been recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a 2018 Recovery Champion Award for his work with black-footed ferrets.
Paul Marinari, Senior Curator, Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biolog6y Center
Black-footed ferrets are North America’s only native ferret species. They once ranged across the western plains but were thought to be extinct until a small population was discovered in 1981.
Paul Marinari’s time as the lead at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center and his continuing effort as the longest-standing studbook keeper for the species have been instrumental in making black-footed ferret recovery one of the most successful and inspiring conservation stories in North America. Significant achievements under his leadership include the expansion of the captive breeding program into a large, stable, genetically viable population from the last remaining individuals; establishment of new, successful reintroduction sites; and advances in the science of husbandry, pre-conditioning, and reproduction. The program has prospered and thousands of kits have been successfully born, reared, and released into the wild.
The awards were announced May 17, Endangered Species Day.
Black-footed ferret (Photo courtesy Smithsonian’s National Zoo)
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Posted: 18 June 2019
