(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s (CMZoo) dedicated team is working to recover the black-footed ferret (BFF) from extinction and in the summer of 2024, celebrated the most ferret kits born in a single season.

CMZoo said the zoo has been a part of the BFF breeding program since 1991, and over the summer, the zoo welcomed 37 kits to the world. CMZoo is working to figure out what caused the record number but one cause could be a trial started in an attempt to boost breeding numbers.

“We’re trying to replicate opportunities observed in nature when female black-footed ferrets mate with multiple mates within the same breeding window,” said Jeff Baughman, field conservation coordinator at CMZoo. Jeff has been part of CMZoo’s black-footed ferret and Wyoming toad breed-and-release programs for more than 20 years.

According to CMZoo, female BFFs breed once per year and only between the ages of 1 to 4. The act of breeding triggers ovulation which lasts around 72 hours. In the past, a female was paired with a suitable male for the full 72 hours, but this year a female was paired with three males, each for 24 hours. Mixed paternity litters are not unheard of in the animal kingdom, said CMZoo.

CMZoo’s team is hoping to run paternity tests by mid-August and if the tests show mixed paternity litters, the method could be a new tool for increased diversity in critically endangered species over time.

More information about BFFs and their rescue from extinction can be found on CMZoo’s website.