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[applause]

HENRI: Welcome back to another episode of 'Intermind,' the show for people who have made a change in the lives of endangered animals. Today we have Xavier, a young man from North Bondi. Ever since he was a child, Xavier has been making a change in trying to save the black-footed ferret from extinction. Please put your hands together for Xavier.

Xavier. Sorry, it should be any minute now. He should be coming in 3, 2-- oh, there you are.

Oh, sorry.

HENRI: OK.

XAVIER; Yeah. Thanks, Henri. The black-footed ferret was a significant part of my childhood. You see BFF didn't just stand for Best Friends Forever. It stood for black-footed ferret. They were my BFFs.

HENRI: Yeah, so it was only that when you were older you actually found out how endangered the black-footed ferret was. So you said in one of your interviews that you wanted to do something about this.

XAVIER; Yeah, it basically felt like my natural instincts to help my favourite animals because of how incredible these animals are. They needed someone to save them. And I was going to be the one.

HENRI: So what did you do to help the black-footed ferret from extinction?

XAVIER; Yeah, Henri, saving a species from extinction requires extraordinary measures, which I have. The black-footed ferret is one of North America's Most Endangered mammals. Once it was thought to be extinct. But after the species was rediscovered in 1981, concerned efforts and numerous partners gave the black-footed ferret a second chance of survival.

Captive breeding, reintroduction, habitat protection, and cloning have helped to restore them to over 300 animals worldwide. Although the great strides have been made to recover the black-footed ferret, estimates there should be 3,000 adults in the wild.

HENRI: Why does the black-footed ferret means so much to you, Xavier, and why do they matter?

XAVIER; Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered mammals in North America and the only ferret species native to its continent. Their recovery in the wild signifies the health of the grassland ecosystem, which they depend on to survive. Without them, the health would go down dramatically.

HENRI: Thank you for being on 'Intermind.'

XAVIER; Any time, bro.

HENRI: Oh, man. I swear that guy disappears like a ghost. Anyway, thank you for watching another episode of 'Intermind,' the show for people who've made a change.

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