Taxonomy
Mustela furo | Feral Ferret | Firéad
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
Not Assessed
Legal status
The Fur Farming (Prohibition) (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 made it illegal to conduct fur farming in Northern Ireland.
First reported in the wild
1986
Invasiveness
Invasive species - risk of High Impact
Irish status
Established
Introduction pathways - 1
Escape from Confinement
Introduction pathways subclass - 1
Pet/aquarium species
Invasive score
19
NAPRA Ireland risk assessed
No
Species Biology
Identification
Long, cylindrical body, relatively short legs, colouration tends to be albino or dark with extensive white or cream on face and throat (Kitchner & Birks, 2008). Dark morphs can be confused with mink, otter, pine marten or stoats in bad light. Albino morphs tend to be almost pure white with red eyes (Kitchner & Birks, 2008).
Ecology
Introduced mammal predators to islands are thought to heavily impact on endemic mammals and ground and burrow nesting birds (Courchamp et al., 2003), though these effects will vary depending on the species and the area to which it has been introduced. On Rathlin Island, rabbits make up a high proportion of the ferrets diet and this is consistent with other introduced populations, however birds eggs are likely to be an under recorded component of the diet (Bodey et al., 2011). Additionally it is considered an important host, and vector of spread, of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) in New Zealand (Byrom et al., 2015).
Habitat
Mires, bogs & fens; Grasslands and landscapes dominated by forbs, mosses or lichens; Woodland, forest and other wooded land; Constructed, industrial or other artificial habitats; Regularly or recently cultivated agricultural, horticultural or domestic habitat
Reproduction
No information on breeding in Ireland
Pathway and vector description
There is no natural route for ferrets to reach Ireland, so all individuals are likely to be pets either deliberately released into the wild or escaped from captivity.
Mechanism of impact
Competition, Predation, Disease transmission, Other
Broad environment
Terrestrial
Habitat description
Occupies a wide variety of habitats, though generally associated with lowland habitats (Buckley & Lundy, 2013).
Species group
Vertebrate
Native region
Europe
Similar species
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Established - Widespread. Present in 19 of the 32 counties of Ireland with breeding population in Northern Ireland (Buckley & Lundy, 2013). However the survey on which the distribution is based was a public survey, meaning the distribution may be artefact of recording effort.
Native distribution
Domesticated form of the pole cat Mustela putorius (Davison et al., 1999).
Temporal change
Date of first record category
1981-1990
Fifty year date category
1951-2000
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
The following map is interactive. If you would prefer to view it full screen then click here.
How can you help
Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Do not allow pets to escape, report escaped pets and never release a ferret into the wild.
References
Publications
Bodey, T. W., Bearhop, S., & McDonald, R. A. (2011). The diet of an invasive nonnative predator, the feral ferret Mustela furo, and implications for the conservation of ground-nesting birds. European journal of wildlife research, 57(1), 107-117.
Buckley, D. J., & Lundy, M. (2013). The current distribution and potential for future range expansion of feral ferret Mustela putorius furo in Ireland. European journal of wildlife research, 59(3), 323-330.
Byrom, A. E., Caley, P., Paterson, B. M., & Nugent, G. (2015). Feral ferrets (Mustela furo) as hosts and sentinels of tuberculosis in New Zealand. New Zealand veterinary journal, (ahead-of-print), 1-12.
Courchamp, F., Chapuis, J. L., & Pascal, M. (2003). Mammal invaders on islands: impact, control and control impact. Biological Reviews, 78(03), 347-383.
Davison, A., Birks, J. D. S., Griffiths, H. I., Kitchener, A. C., Biggins, D., & Butlin, R. K. (1999). Hybridization and the phylogenetic relationship between polecats and domestic ferrets in Britain. Biological Conservation, 87(2), 155-161.
Kitchener, A.C. & Birks, J.D.S. (2008) Feral ferret Mustel furo. In: Harris, S. & Yalden, D.W. (eds.) Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook. Mammal Society, Southampton.
Relevant links
Global Invasive Species Database
Additional comments
Species name is often given as Mustela furo, rather than Mustela putorius furo, possibly to avoid confusion with the western polecat (Mustela putorius) which is native to large parts of Europe including Britain.