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The high-tech tool saving endangered black-footed ferrets

Think of the plague and you might picture rats scurrying through medieval towns during the Black Death. Today, the same flea-borne disease—caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis—is decimating prairie dogs, the primary food source for endangered black-footed ferrets. To help stop its spread, WWF, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Model Avionics developed a “triple-shooter” that launches plague-fighting baits across prairie dog colonies, protecting both species from deadly outbreaks.

Person on ATV in open field with triple shooter device

Here’s how it works:

THE BAIT

Edible baits called FipBits contain fipronil, an insecticide used in domestic pets’ flea and tick treatments. When prairie dogs eat the pellets, fipronil enters the bloodstream and kills fleas that bite them—reducing flea numbers and preventing the plague’s spread.

THE MOUNT

Attached to an all-terrain vehicle, the machine can treat about 50 acres per hour. A drone-mounted version created by WWF and partners can cover roughly twice that area.

The launch

Tubes dispense three FipBits at once. Motor-powered foam wheels project the baits by up to 15 feet on each side; the center chute drops baits straight below the device.

Just 50 FipBits can protect one acre of prairie dog colonies for one year.

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Comeback kid

Once numbering as many as 1 million across North America, black-footed ferrets were considered extinct by 1979 due to agricultural expansion, the large-scale poisoning of prairie dogs, and sylvatic plague. But when a small population was discovered in Wyoming in 1981, conservationists launched an ambitious recovery effort. Now, 300 exist in the wild, but they remain one of North America’s most endangered terrestrial mammals.

In 2025, federal, tribal, and state partners used triple-shooters to deliver FipBits across 6,559 acres of prairie dog colonies, protecting the food source of an estimated 200 black-footed ferrets.

Black-footed ferret sitting up and alert

Ecosystem architects

Prairie dogs are an important food source for predators such as foxes, hawks, eagles, and snakes. They clip and graze vegetation, helping to maintain biodiverse landscapes, and their burrows provide important habitats for other wildlife—including black-footed ferrets.