Hello, Babies!

Two tiny black-footed ferret kits sit in a green plastic box. A caregiver reaches in, scoops one fuzzy baby into each hand. Then she places them one at a time on a metal scale for a checkup.

The kits, named Sibert and Red Cloud, are two of the newest black-footed ferrets born in captivity at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia. They are part of a decades-long conservation project to help save their species from extinction.

Two tiny black-footed ferret babies sit in a green plastic box. A caregiver reaches in and picks up one fuzzy kit with each hand. Then she places them one at a time on a metal scale. It’s part of a checkup to make sure the babies are healthy.

The kits are named Sibert and Red Cloud. They are two of the newest black-footed ferrets born in captivity. They were born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia. The kits are part of a decades-long conservation project. The project wants to save their species from extinction.

Black-footed ferrets are one of the most threatened mammal species in North America. But there’s something extra special about Sibert and Red Cloud. Their mother was a clone—an individual with the exact same DNA as a ferret that lived decades ago. Their birth last summer is a historic first.

“Until now, no clone of an endangered species had successfully reproduced,” says biologist Ben Novak. Novak is the lead scientist at Revive & Restore, an organization that uses technology like cloning to aid wildlife conservation. The group works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on black-footed ferret breeding and research. The birth of Sibert and Red Cloud is a crucial step in bringing back this adorable species, which almost disappeared.

Black-footed ferrets are one of the most threatened mammal species in North America. But Sibert and Red Cloud are extra special. Their mother was a clone! She has the exact same DNA as a ferret that lived decades ago. Their birth last summer made history.

“Until now, no clone of an endangered species had successfully reproduced,” says biologist Ben Novak. Novak is the lead scientist at Revive & Restore. The organization uses technology like cloning to help animals. The group works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help black-footed ferrets. They study how the animals live and try to raise new kits. The birth of Sibert and Red Cloud is a big step in bringing back the cute species.

Scientists needed a way to improve the health of the black-footed ferret population. Thankfully, conservationists had looked ahead when they brought the first ferrets into captivity. A ferret named Willa didn’t reproduce before she died in 1988. But biologists had collected some of her skin cells and froze them. This  preserved Willa's DNA.

Researchers compared Willa’s DNA with that of living ferrets. They found that Willa’s genetic material was significantly different—meaning it could boost the population’s genetic diversity. In 2020, scientists used biotechnology to insert Willa’s DNA into the egg cell of a domestic ferret. A month later, Elizabeth Ann—Willa’s identical clone—was born. Two more Willa clones, Antonia and Noreen, were born in 2023.

But there was still a big question: Would the clones be able to reproduce? No clone of an endangered species had ever given birth to healthy young before. Elizabeth Ann was healthy, but she could not have babies.

Scientists needed a way to improve the health of black-footed ferrets. Thankfully, conservationists had looked ahead. A ferret named Willa didn’t have kits before she died in 1988. But biologists had collected and frozen some of her skin cells. This meant the biologists had Willa’s DNA.

Researchers compared Willa’s DNA with the DNA from living ferrets. They found that Willa’s genetic material was very different. That meant it could boost the population’s genetic diversity. Scientists used biotechnology to insert Willa’s DNA into the egg cell of a ferret in 2020. A month later, Elizabeth Ann was born. She was Willa’s identical clone! Two more Willa clones, Antonia and Noreen, were born in 2023.

But scientists still had a big question. Would the clones be able to reproduce? No clone of an endangered species had ever given birth to healthy young before. Elizabeth Ann could not have babies.