"Return of the Prairie Bandit" documentary to air February 10 on CBC's "Nature of Things"

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's version of PBS in the US, will air filmmaker Kenton Vaughan's documentary "Return of the Prairie Bandit" on Thursday, February10, at 8:00 p.m. on "The Nature of Things."

This dramatic story of the ferrets’ reintroduction to the wild unfolds in Return of the Prairie Bandit, a new documentary by Kenton Vaughan set in the stunning prairie of southern Saskatchewan... At Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, Canada’s last refuge for prairie dogs, the painstaking, precarious campaign to bring the ferret back is underway. Shot over the course of one year, Returnof the Prairie Bandit is a fascinating look at the ups and downs of this campaign set against the sweeping, stark beauty of the park.


The film charts the progress made by wildlife biologist Travis Livieri who is spearheading the black-footed ferret revival in North America. Alongside Parks Canada staff, he directs the release of the animal onto prairie dog colonies, and returns each season to check on their survival rate. At each turn, the ferrets face seemingly catastrophic challenges, from an unseasonably harsh winter to plague.

The show will air again on Thursday, February 17, at 10 pm ET/PT. For US audiences, visit "The Nature of Things" CBC website to watch online, and don't miss the video clip of a black-footed ferret happy dance. All of us who know and love our domesticated ferrets are familiar with this joyful little dance, and it made me laugh out loud to see their wild cousins dancing, too.

In a related story, the Canadian Wildlife Service and Park Canada set up motion activated cameras in the Grasslands National Park in November 2009. The original purpose was to see when the burrowing owls returned, so staff were surprised when black-footed ferrets showed up too. The next summer, Calgary Zoo staff used the same remote cameras to count prairie dogs and once again captured images of black-footed ferrets. Visit the CBC's Documentaries web page to see clips of the black-footed ferrets and other wildlife.

Melanie Dawn Molina Wood is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate LLC in Miami, Florida and a member of the US Green Building Council. She is a designated Eco-Broker and a long-time member of the Sierra Club. She shares her home with her daughter and five domesticated ferrets. You can visit her website at www.MelanieSellsMiami.com or follow her on Twitter @MelanieDawnMW