Tour for four people to visit black-footed ferrets at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, VA. Learn about reproductive procedures including how estrus (heat) and ovulation are detected, how animals are selected for reintroduction to the wild, and how this species is recovering from near extinction! Tour led by SCBI Senior Curator Paul Marinari. Normally not open to the public, SCBI is a 3,200-acre site in the Shenandoah Valley, where scientists and staff are engaged in multi-disciplinary research to recover endangered species, save habitat, and restore species to the wild. The SCBI facilitates and promotes research programs based on-site, at the National Zoo in Washington, and at field research and training sites around the world.