I apologize to the questioner for the delay in answering this question.
 
A: I DESIRE TO WRITE A REBUTAL TO THE [California] FISH AND GAME POSITION
ON FERRETS.  CAN YOU LIST THE BEST EXPERTS [for domestication, ecology,
and progenitors]?
 
B: Sure.  Here is a single caveat: this list is *MY* opinion, and others
may disagree.  I *URGE* people not to contact these people *UNLESS* they
have *REAL* reason to do so.  My email box gets 30-40 ferret related
emails a day, of which I can maybe answer 4 or 5.  The unnecessary
requests for information easily gathered from published material is
unlikely to garner much support or cooperation.  Do your homework, THEN
ask intelligent questions.  These scientists are listed as they relate
to FERRET ISSUES only; if the list related to genetics, ecology, or other
issues, it would be different.
 
The top mustelids-in-general expert in the world is Carolyn King, hands
down.  She has an intimate knowledge of weaseline predators, feral ferret
issues, ecology, and to a lesser extend, domestication.  Much of King's
work is involved with the issue of feral ferrets in New Zealand, which
she (correctly, I believe) assumes a conservationist attitude.
 
Christopher Lever is probably the foremost leading expert on feral
animals, but his work on ferrets is more limited and generally
dependant upon published sources rather than first hand investigation.
None-the-less, his careful approach to the subject and extensive
scholarship has real value in relation to ferret issues.
 
I doubt if anyone knows more about the genetics (and domestication
implications) of ferrets than Johnny Birk (and associates).  While his
work is not directly geared to ferret domestication, their implications
have vast importance on the subject.  Much of Birk's work deals with the
preservation of British polecats, and the genetic contribution and impact
of lost or feral ferrets upon that population group.
 
Perhaps the best expert regarding polecat ecology and distribution within
greater Europe is a tie between Vadim Sidorovich and Bogumila Jedrzejwska
(and associates).  A close second would be Therry Lode.  Sidorovich and
Jedrzejwska specialize in eastern European issues, while Lode specializes
in western issues.  All publish in ecology, introduced predators, and
predator prey interelations.  While I personally consider both Lode,
Sidorovich, and Jedrzejwska (and associates) having more-or-less and
equal weight in regards to ferrets, because of specific ecological issues
(and excluding Lode's work on introduced mink), I think Sidorovich's and
Jedrzejwska's work has more value to the California issue than that of
Lode.
 
There is currently no one of note who publishes on ferret domestication.
MOST articles on ferret domestion are unsupported, speculative and
erroneous, or are terribly outdated.  For example, ANYTHING that suggests
ferrets were domesticated in Egypt has little or no real value on the
subject.  Caroline Clutton-Brock and Ian Mason are both experts on
generalized animal domestication, but neither has published extensive
reviews of ferret domestication (although their limited reviews are
pretty good).
 
I wouldn't list anyone as an expert on ferret dietary requirements.  The
people who know more than I do have not published specific findings, and
as such do not deserve inclusion on this list.  The best you will find
has been published by Marshall Farms (see Fox's book), but that data is
geared towards successful animal production, NOT long-term longevity or
the minimization of diet-related disease.
 
As for myself, it may sound self-grandizing, but I honestly doubt if any
one person has a better handle on the history of the ferret in the USA
(and to a lesser extent of the world) than I do.  That is, history in a
holistic sense.  There are plenty of people with a greater knowledge of
individual issues--Marshall Farms knows more about their participation
than anyone--but none has documented the generalized history as well as I.
 
I hope this helps.  If you, or anyone, have SPECIFIC needs, contact me
privately and I will answer as soon as possible within the limits of
time and email pressure.
 
Bob C
 
[Part 2, posted later:]
 
Just knowing WHO may be the best experts to use when rebuting anti-ferret
literature is really not enough.  Remember my statement that you needed
to do your homework BEFORE contacting the experts?  To do that you need
to obtain as much of the published material as possible and reading it.
It helps to find published reviews of the work, which for books takes a
year or two to reach publication.  Reviewers are generally experts in the
field, and they usually point out the good and bad parts of the book.  It
is harder to find reviews of published papers, but if such a rebutal is
done, it is usually in the same journal an issue or two down the line.
 
Another good piece of advice is to look for PATTERNS rather than rely
on specific instances.  This is a main failure of the CaCaLand Fishin'
Gestapo.  They can accurately point out specific instances, but they
seemingly lack the ability to recognize patterns.  For example, they
continuously refer to New Zealand as an example of ferrets going feral,
yet the circumstances behind that historic event are unique and only
comparable to those instances where a similar PATTERN of introduction has
taken place.  Such a pattern would require a disrupted island ecology
lacking terrestrial predators, yet over-filled with prey species, where
humans introduced tens of thousands of ferrets, fed them, distributed
them across the landscape, protected them from hunting and harm, and did
so for the better part of a single human lifespan.  The point is, just
citing an instance is worthless if the patterns being compared are not
similar.  For example, I can show, decade by decade, that ferrets have
been used, worked, released and lost in the United States for more than
180 years, yet despite numerous losses and releases, ferrets have NEVER
formed a feral colony ANYWHERE in the United States, Canada or Mexico.
That is a pattern that refutes the few individual sightings or
collections cited by the CFG as "proof" ferrets can go feral.  Patterns
are your friend.
 
Finally, I recommend you obtain these materials on your own, which should
be fairly easy for the important ones if you access the biological
sciences library at your local university.  The advantages are that,
for books, you can get a holistic feeling for the book, impossible when
reading chapters (or parts of chapters!).  In regards to journal
articles, you can easily scan for rebutals and comments.  Just looking
for the book on the shelf has tremendous value--many times the books
on either side has as much value--or more-- than the one I originally
wanted.  Most university libraries now subscribe to electronic journals,
which if you are not a student, can be easily accessed at the library (I
email PDF files of journal articles to my home computer all the time!).
 
Never ignore the bibliography.  A good bibliography is worth more than
many original articles.  A photocopy of a book chapter rarely includes
the important references that support the arguments made by the author.
*NEVER* accept a reference given as being accurate *WITHOUT* checking the
cited article.  For example, the CFG loves to cite Hoffmeister as saying
feral ferrets exist in Arizona.  In truth, the citation only says a
couple of ferrets were spotted (NOT collected over a wide range, found
living in a feral state, proved to be ferrets rather than longtailed
weasels, etc), which is hardly PROOF ferrets live feral in Arizona.
"Documented" citation is NOT proof!  If you honestly want to nail the
CFG, get copies of EVERY citation they make, read over them, study their
original sources, search for rebutals, and you can easily show a PATTERN
of exageration, duplicity, and outright lack of understanding of the
issues.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4050]