Hi Danielle,
I've missed much of the debate about MF, PETA and the ALF but have been
around long enough to know what it's about and that it's always the same.
I just wanted you to know from me why I, as a ferret person, dislike the
PETA organization in regards to ferrets.
Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA I believe, wrote a column about two
years ago for JANE magazine. This is a nationally distributed magazine.
She was doing a Question/Answer page on pets. A girl wrote in asking if
ferrets were good pets.
I will never forget her responses. While I can't quote them 100%, I can
tell you what she said.
Ferrets make lousy pets because:
- they will crawl into the walls where you can't get at them
and cause damage and escape.
- they are a RABIES risk and not to be trusted around young
children, and that if one should ever bite you, you better
run to the nearest ER for a series of rabies shots.
- they're exotic animals and not meant to be pets.
JANE magazine neither fact checked this, and when I posted the exact
quote to the FML, a ton of people wrote into the magazine. Instead of
doing the RIGHT thing and printing some sort of correction in the magazine
at a later date, the magazine called us "ferret freaks" and dismissed it
at that.
Ingrid Newkirk did uncalculated damage with that response. For such a
powerful woman, she is probably the most ignorant woman I've ever come
across. Now, if the founder of PETA can't be bothered to check facts and
make a rational statement in a national magazine, why would I trust anyone
below her?
And, yes, I also held JANE responsible. Their dismissal of us as freaks
did as much damage as Ingrid's ignorant comments. I canceled my
subscription immediately.
So, for some of us, there are rational, factual reasons we don't trust
these organizations.
Julie
[Posted in FML issue 3658]
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