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Scientists have cloned the first U.S. endangered species, a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died over 30 years ago.

It turns out that some monkeys make better hunting partners than prey. That's the case on the Ethiopian highlands, where two unusual species have developed an equally unusual co-dependency. The relationship benefits both canine and primate, although at least one or two nearby rodent species might regret it.

This case study was developed to teach students the importance of understanding the behavior of wildlife, explore the difficulty in making management decisions when the public is invested in a species, and to help students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills. Students learn about the conservation status and behavior of the black rhinoceros by reading a primary literature article and answering a series of questions. They then listen to a Radiolab podcast that explores the moral dilemma of whether it is ethically appropriate to shoot an endangered rhinoceros if the purpose is to raise conservation funds. Students are assigned one of five positions and write essays to prepare for a town hall style debate in which they examine the pros and cons of such a decision. The Radiolab podcast is based on real events, and is also representative of many ethical dilemmas that wildlife managers regularly face. This case study is appropriate for several upper division biology courses.

Habitat loss and disease in the American prairie pushed the black-footed ferret ​to the edge of extinction. Now these underground-dwelling mammals are making a comeback, through a captive-breeding program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There, baby ferrets-called kits-are raised and released into the wild.​

This lesson follows a flipped learning model where teachers don't stand before the class and lecture.  Instead, students become grizzly bear scientists and "discover" the answers to real-world research questions through scientific inquiry. Using real-world demographic data collected over 30 years on grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, students work individually, in three Science Teams, and as a class to determine whether or not this grizzly bear population is biologically ready for delisting.

Highlighting role of animal research in human health.  A visually appealing website with an array of research summaries.

In this special episode, Laura Ling dives deeper into the illegal wildlife trade for DNews Reports. How big is it and how can we stop it?