Grasslands National Park is gaining 15 black-footed ferrets Wednesday as Parks Canada sends the group into the wild.

In a media release, Peter Kent, minister responsible for Parks Canada, said it’s the third release of the at-risk species into the national park.

“Once considered one of North America’s rarest mammals, this species at risk is thriving thanks to Parks Canada’s leadership,” said Kent.

The black-footed ferrets were reintroduced in 2009. Since then, they have been closely monitored closely.

This year, three new ferret families were spotted by trackers on separate prairie dog colonies.

“The discovery of new families is confirming how quickly the ferrets are adapting to their new home on the Canadian prairie,” said the release.

Edited by News Talk Radio's Karin Yeske.