The U.S. government wants to use candy-dropping drones to save endangered ferrets

A specialized drone could be instrumental in saving an endangered species of ferret in the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to test out a program that would use unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to shoot vaccine-covered candy into the black-footed ferret's habitat in Montana. The goal of this scheme is to help inoculate the animal against sylvatic plague -- a disease that can decimate black-footed ferret populations. The vaccination effort is designed to indirectly benefit the ferrets by specifically targeting prairie dog populations, which are also susceptible to the plague. Black-footed ferrets depend on prairie dogs for food and shelter.