Hello,
 
I wrote to PETA just to see what their response to the ferret video was.
Here was the response.  I don't know if this will clear things up, but I
thought it best to have an answer straight from the source.
 
Happy reading! --Treva
 
 
"Dear Treva:
 
"Thank you for your message to PETA.
 
"Our Getting Away With Murder video is one of many examples of useless
and cruel experiments on animals.
 
"The video footage was filmed by an undergraduate student and an ecology
professor at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook.
Their so-called predator study, which involved throwing tame mice, rats,
and rabbits into an enclosed tub where they were attacked and killed by
domestic ferrets, was neither reviewed nor approved by the SUNY animal
use committee, as is required for all animal experiments.  Dr. Mark
Lerman, medical director of Lifeline for Wildlife, commented that the
ferret studies served no useful purpose whatsoever.  The conduct of the
experimenters is both morally repugnant and scientifically offensive.
 
"Through diligent detective work, the student and professor responsible
for these voyeuristic cruelties were identified and publicly exposed, and
the case was investigated by SUNY and government agencies.  Releasing
this video provided proof of horrific cruelty on the part of university
experimenters that would not have been discovered--or
believed--otherwise.
 
"To learn more about animal experiments and why we oppose them, please
see our Web site www.StopAnimalsTests.com.
 
"Thank you again for writing and for everything you do for animals.
 
"Sincerely,
"Paula Moore
"Staff Writer"
[Posted in FML issue 4076]