There is extensive deforestation in the area where the Colombian weasel is found; however, it is not yet established whether this is having an adverse effect. Farmers have seen weasels, and usually thought of them as pests, since most encounters involved predation upon chickens or domestic guinea pigs.
The Colombian weasel is probably the rarest carnivore in South America.
Mustela felipei is known to Occur in Colombia and Ecuador.
Virtually nothing is known about the distribution, status or ecology of Mustela felipei. As of 1996 only five specimens of the Colombian weasel were known. Three of them were originally mislabled as the long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata. The Colombian weasel has been identified as a separate species since 1996.
The IUCN considers Mustela filipei as "Endangered".