A Rare Sight: Black-Footed Ferret Rigatoni on Exhibit
Last year, the Louisville Zoo was proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center. Now, you can finally see North America's most endangered mammal back on exhibit.
Meet Rigatoni
Black-footed ferret Rigatoni is ready to make your acquaintance in the MetaZoo Discovery Center. Rigatoni is 5 years old and hails from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI). Rigatoni's new MetaZoo habitat includes a nest box (like those in the Conservation Center) which connects to his exhibit via a system of tubes.
Rigatoni, like all black-footed ferrets, enjoys sleeping during the day, sometimes burrowing into the hay in his exhibit. When he's awake, you can see him playing and exploring his new habitat.
25 Years of Conservation
The Louisville Zoo's Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center has been a cornerstone of the national recovery effort for this critically endangered species. Once believed extinct, black-footed ferrets were rediscovered in Wyoming in 1981. Through coordinated breeding programs between AZA-accredited institutions like Louisville Zoo, the population has slowly recovered from just 18 individuals to several hundred in the wild today.
