Hello all-
 
This last week my daughter thought she saw a ferret at the church next
door.  Being that we live in town, it worried the two of us about traffice
and people hurting it before it was found.  So she put out food and a
cheweasel for it.  About 4 hours later she went out to look and sent a
friend back to tell me they found it.
 
It was pure black and screaming a sound I had not heard before.  Also it
was obviously not a descented animal.  The cable repair guy was still
working on my computer cable problems and actually has 2 ferrets himself.
He told us to wait up and he would grab some leather gloves.  I didn't get
a good look at its head, but it looked like a ferret to me.  Just that it
was solid black.  After smelling the odor, I thought maybe I had missed the
white stipe!  The cable guy (Charlie) tried getting close to it with his
gloves on but it was screaming and put a bit of fear in us.  Then it took
off running.  Ran to the neighbors, both on the side and in back.  The dogs
in the yards went nuts and the smell was traveling fast!  We haven't seen
it since, but assume it is back living under the church, after finding the
hole it was going through.
 
Any ideas on what it is?  We went to a weasel site on the internet and they
are definitely not black, haven't heard of a black ferret and a friend
suggested a marten, but they don't seem to be black either.  Poor little
thing was scared to death.  Now we have no idea how to catch it or if it
is bad for the neighborhood.
 
Cyndy
Washington State
 
PS  Kim I am sending you a copy of this incase with your wild animal
rescues, you have run across something like this!
[Posted in FML issue 3508]