Ben Stiller... what a joke.  I wouldn't be surprised if all of this
hoopla over this isn't actually giving him more publicity than he would
have gotten if people had kept quiet.
 
Then I got to thinking about the two sides of the Big Picture.
 
On one hand, Stiller's and Aniston's comments have affected people's
opinions on how they feel about ferrets, and I know that stuff like this
is exactly what the media feeds upon, and what the F&G will jump upon to
make their points about upholding the ban on ferrets in California.
 
But on the other hand, there are so many shelters that are filled to
overflowing with ferrets that people have abandoned for many reasons,
justifiable or not.  Do we really need another 101 Dalmatian aftermath
explosion?  As soon as the movie played, everyone wanted a Dalmatian...
simply because the movie made them so cute, adorable and anthropomorphic.
Recently, an ad campaign for a phone company in Canada depicted two
adorable spotted pot bellied pigs.  The commercial made them look so
adorable that the internet became flooded with people looking to get
similar pigs as pets!  Telus, the phone company who put on the ad, states
that it was the most successful campaign that they had done to date.  No
other animal that they had portrayed previously had gotten as much
attention, request for posters bearing their images, and inquires as to
where people could buy the actual pigs.
 
The ferret community must walk a very fine line in fighting for the
future of ferrets.  We have to be able to education enough so that people
DON'T get ferrets on impulse, or when they are not prepared for them, but
also respect the fact that as a pet, they hold a special place in the
hearts of those that can appreciate the kind of animal they are.  I
suggest that we use this experience to double our efforts in teaching
people that ferrets are not for everyone but if they are interested
enough, that the local ferret shelter will help them learn about what it
means to live with one.
 
Ben's comments initially may have set the ferret movement back a decade
or two, but at least on the positive side, it got people rethinking their
plans on getting one.
 
Just my thoughts...
 
betty and her blur o'fur
for the love of ferrets...
[Posted in FML issue 4396]