Melody Tomaszewicz <[log in to unmask]> wrote on 3/16/2005, 7:00 AM:
>I would have answered you personally, but couldn't, so I'll use the list.
>In my opinion, Hawaii is the only state where ferrets should be illegal.
>There are a lot of flightless birds and endangered species in Hawaii.
 
While I agree with some of what Melody said, I am not so sure that
ferrets would survive in the wild there.  Most of the islands have
mongooses in the wild, and just like where mink are present, I think
the mongooses would beat out the ferrets.  They tend to be more
aggressive then domestic ferrets, and will kill anything that they can.
 
But Hawaii does have a fragile ecosystem, and it has been greatly damaged
by the importing of outside species, like the mongoose.  They are trying
to crack down on the importation of animals, but unfortunately, are not
having much luck.
 
The last time I was on Maui, there was a large cat on the loose (as in
jungle cat).  During my stay it was sighted by a number of people, but
not at close enough range for then to determine what it was.  It was
killing and eating people's pet dogs and cats.  It is illegal to bring
these cats into Hawaii, but the rich people with summer homes there and
private planes can pretty much get away with bring what ever they want
onto the islands.  Some of them have landing strips on their properties,
so they are not subject to inspections at the airports.
 
As a point of explanation, while I have never lived in Hawaii, I have
visited various islands on 5 separate trips there.  I also have a
cousin who lives on the Big Island, who is very active in conservation
activities.  The people who want to preserve as much of the real Hawaii
as possible work hard to keep laws in place that prohibit foreign species
of animals.
 
If we want Hawaii to remain the tropical paradise that it is, I would
agree that ferrets should not be allowed there, especially whole
(un-neutered) ferrets.
 
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 4819]