A million species are under the threat of extinction, scientists say.

Since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, 11 species on that list have been declared extinct in the United States.

One tool being used to combat the extinction crisis is species reintroduction — the process of re-establishing a species population in an area they've been driven out of.

Reintroduction has been successful in the U.S. before, with a variety of species, including black-footed ferrets, which were once among the rarest mammals in the world.

We discuss how decisions over reintroductions are made and check in on the battle over a gray wolf release program in Colorado.

This episode is part of our series, "SOS: Save Our Species," which takes a closer look at the Endangered Species Act and its impact 50 years later.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy