Phoenix Zoo's baby black-footed ferrets have important work to do (besides being cute)

In a quiet building between the camels and cheetahs, five black-footed ferrets have given birth to 25 kits, marking what could be the Phoenix Zoo's most successful breeding season of the endangered species.

"They're awful cute," said Tara Harris, the zoo's director of conservation and science.

They're squeaky, climbing over their tired mothers in nest boxes to nurse. Their white fur is turning black, their face masks filling in.

They're little, weighing less than 400 grams, but they have something important to do.

The zoo is one of six facilities breeding black-footed ferrets for release to the wild. Twice thought to be extinct, the black-footed ferret has returned, in fits and starts, to its native prairie grasslands in Arizona and other parts of North America through the work of people like Harris and her staff.

Over 30 years, the zoo has bred more than 500 kits. Last month alone, 27 kits were born, and all but two survived, including Yoshi's six kits and Vermillion's litter of four. Harris suspects two more, Sedona and Roly Poly, are pregnant.

Black-footed ferrets typically live in prairie dog burrows underground. At the zoo, 24 adult ferrets live in a simulated environment with tunnels leading to nest boxes.

The staff keeps tabs on them via video cameras. They're paired with potential mates when the timing is right.

It's hit and miss every year.

"So when we see all these kits, I'm just so proud to know that many of these will go back out to the wild," Harris said, "and we're part of it."

For now, the kits are eating, sleeping and squeaking.

They're rarely handled except for check-ups with the veterinarian. At 60 days, they'll be vaccinated for canine distemper and plague and at 90 days, for rabies.

Soon, they'll meet the other kits and be introduced to meatballs. By fall, they'll be nearly grown and, based on genetics, either chosen for the breeding program or set for release.

They're helping save their own species.

Reach Karina Bland at karina.bland@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @KarinaBland. Sign up for her newsletter at karina.azcentral.com.

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