Extremely rare ringtail found in Idaho
TWIN FALLS, Idaho– Workers at a sugar beet processing factory near Twin Falls were in for a surprise when they started seeing a ringtail on the property.
Ringtails are part of the raccoon family. It’s very rare to see them in the Gem State. The one that was spotted at Amalgamated Sugar is only the fifth confirmed sighting.
To get a better look at it and collect some data, wildlife experts set lives traps for it. They were eventually able to catch it and bring it to the regional Fish and Wildlife officer in Jerome. There, biologists got some samples from it and also gave it a metal ear tag.
A few hours later, the ringtail was released back into the wild south of Twin Falls.
“In the end, the ringtail scampered away from our wildlife biologists to explore the landscape of its new home,” Fish and Game said.
Fish and Game said the last few ringtail sightings also happened near Idaho Falls.
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