Shutdown jeopardizes release of 400 endangered ferrets

CBS News reports that furloughs at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the federal shutdown are imperiling a planned fall release of 400 captive-bred black-footed ferrets from a Fort Collins, Colo., facility, a key step to bolster a wild population of only about 300. Defenders of Wildlife warns fall is the critical window for the animals to learn to hunt and begin mating, and delaying releases could choke future breeding because the facility is at capacity; Interior did not immediately comment.