And I ask, why????I told James about ferrets being illegal in some places because they were afraid that the ferrets would go feral and eat babies and he laughed as he tried to imagine Chaos inflicting harm on an infant. Ain't gonna happen.
This isn't to say that a ferret couldn't harm a child; however, they pose no greater risk than a dog or a cat.
Of course, people in California can't learn to love ferrets through contact, because they are illegal there. There are many people who I run into whenever I take the ferrets out here, where they are legal, who don't about them, but find out after short contact that there is nothing to fear. Not only are Californians prevented from in-person ferret interaction, but they have been fed misinformation.
I'm going to re-print some information from the FerretNews.org site:
The State of California says:
"The state of Massachusetts has adopted a law (with) restrictions against ferrets because... wild ferrets deciminated a population of endangered Terns."
Jack C. Parnell, Director
Calif. DEPT. OF FISH & GAME
Memo, February 26, 1986
But others say:
"There has never been a recorded case of Tern predation by a ferret in Massachusetts. In fact, I have never heard of such a case anywhere in North America."
Thomas M. French, PhD
Assistant Director
DIV. OF FISHERIES & WILDLIFE
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Letter, February 20, 1991
The State of California says:
"...ferrets prey upon... waterfowl..."
Boyd Gibbons, Director
Calif. Dept. of Fish & Game
Letter, March 25, 1994
But others say:
"The domestic Ferret is not considered a threat to waterfowl."
Ducks Unlimited
Letter, March 6, 1996"...(we have) never heard of any problem with domestic ferrets destroying waterfowl (duck) eggs and ... we have never encountered any domestic ferrets in the fields."
Delta Waterfowl Foundation
Letter, February 11, 1997"In the 30 year history of research conducted by Northern Prairie Science Center on nesting waterfowl, domestic ferrets have never been identified or considered as a predator of duck nests."
United States Department of the Interior
Letter, February 19, 1997
The State of California says:
"Ferrets... prey upon... poultry..."
Boyd Gibbons, Director
California Deptartment of Fish and Game
Letter and Ferret Fact Sheet
March 25, 1994
But others say:
"Our board felt that allowing domestic ferrets to be owned as pets will not threaten or hurt the California Poultry industry."
Bill Mattos, President
California Poultry Industry Federation
Letter, February 3, 1994"We are not opposed to AB 2497 (Bill to legalize ferrets in 1994)..."
Richard L. Matteis, Ex. VP
Pacific Egg & Poultry Assn.
Letter, March 7, 1994
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The State of California says:
"Ferrets can and will survive in the wild in California."
Boyd Gibbons, Director
California Deptartment of Fish and Game
Letter and Ferret Fact Sheet
March 25, 1994
But others say:
"... stray ferrets do not appear capable... of establishing themselves in the wild..."
Centers for Disease Control
Veterinary Public Health Notes
October 1980"... domestic ferrets... can survive only in captivity."
United States Public Health Service
Letter, January 28, 1986
The State of California says:
"Presently a feral ferret population exists in Washington State on San Juan Island, Washington..."
California Deptartment of Health Services
December 1988
But others say:
"... there are no ferrets living in Washington that prey upon native wildlife."
Thomas C. Juelson, PhD
Department of Wildlife
State of Washington
Letter, April 14, 1988
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The State of California says:
"Ferrets,... like pit bulls have been bred to be especially ferocious..."
"Pet European Ferrets..."
Pg. 17 California Deptartment of Health Services
But others say:
"... Ferrets are similar to domestic cats... their behavior is docile and cat-like..."
Centers for Disease Control
U.S. Public Health Service
October, 1980"Ferrets are considered to be easily handled and non-dangerous..."
U.S. Department of Agriculture
March 31, 1987
The State of California says:
"Ferrets... have contributed to the extinction of 20 species of New Zealand birds and have pushed many to the brink of extinction."
Attributed to Carolyn King, author of "Immigrant Killers," by Drs. Constantine & Kizer in "Pet European Ferrets: A Hazard to Public Health, Small Livestock and Wildlife."
The above statement does not appear anywhere in "Immigrant Killers."
What does appear in "Immigrant Killers" is the following:
"There is not a single known extinction or diminution in New Zealand that can be regarded as definitely and solely due to (ferrets and other) mustelids... Overseas the story is the same: only 1 percent of 163 extinctions recorded from Islands all over the world since 1600, have been attributed to mustelids (ferrets, stoats, weasels and polecats) compared with 26% attributed to cats and 54% attributed to rats."
"Immigrant Killers"
Carolyn King, Ph.D.
Page #106
Scientific Editor
Royal Society of New Zealand
One State of California agency says:
"Feral populations (of ferrets) seem to... have developed in California in recent years."
"Pet European Ferrets: A Hazard to Public Health, Small Livestock and Wildlife."
Page #34
California Department of Health Services
December 1988
However, another State of California agency says:
"All available information to date indicates that a feral population of ferrets does not occur in California."
Henry J. Voss, Director
California Department of Food & Agriculture
June 26, 1989
The State of California says:
"stray, nonbreeding ferrets could have serious impacts on local wildlife populatons."
Boyd Gibbons, Director
California Department of Fish and Game
Letter & Ferret Fact Sheet
March 25, 1994
What others say:
"Lost ferrets are rarely found and usually die soon after escape."
State of New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection"Domesticated Ferrets have become so dependent upon humans that they cannot survive without care if lost and often die within a few days."
The Encyclopedia Brittanica
Volume 4, pages 746-747"...domestic ferrets... can survive only in captivity."
Leigh Ann Sawyer, DVM, MPH
United States Public Health Service
Letter, January 28, 1986
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The State of California says:
"Rabid ferrets may occur any place at any time."
"Pet European Ferrets..." p. 24
California Department of Health Services
December 1988
What others say:
"When asked about the threat form rabies, I pointed out that it was such an unlikely scenario that unless an owner had the disease and bit his ferret, it would be difficult to imagine how a housebound and frequently cagebound animal could become exposed to the disease."
Roger Caras, President
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ASPCA
Letter, September 20, 1995
The State of California says:
"Being fearless, savage and tenacious... should make them (ferrets) exceptionally effective transmitters of rabies."
"Pet European Ferrets..." p. 36
California Department of Health Services
December 1988
What others say:
Annual Summaries of Rabies Surveillance
1984-1990---Centers for Disease Control,
United States Public Health Service2,240 rabid dogs
2,310 rabid cats
10 rabid ferretsThere never has been a recorded transmission of rabies from a ferret to a human being.
The State of California says:
"Is there a 'proven' vaccine to prevent rabies (in ferrets)? No."
Boyd Gibbons, Director
California Department of Fish and Game
Letter & Ferret Fact Sheet
March 25, 1994
What others say:
Rhone Merieux is the manufacturer of IMRAB, a killed rabies vaccine which has been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture for use in six species of animals, including ferrets..."
Donald G. Hildebrand, President
Rhone Merieux
Cease and Desist letter April 6, 1994
I really don't get why someone would go through so much trouble to create anti-ferret legislation in the first place and then fight to preserve it. Maybe someone was bit by a ferret as a child (just as they may have been by a cat or a dog or another child) and took it personally.
So, if you are a resident of California (or anywhere else that bans ferrets) or know someone who is, please do your part to inform the public about the loving nature of the domesticated ferret (which is as different from the black-footed ferret as a wolf is from the domesticated dog - actually more so, since domesticated dogs can set up packs in the wild, but domesticated ferrets just die when they wander off).
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