Forwarded with permission from Dr. Freddie A. Hoffman, pediatrician,
well known from the AFA through the years, who told that she would not
have time to send this.  She has a very interesting take on one way to
cut the buzz -- our own negative book reviews on public sites.  That
seems so logical but I have never heard it proposed before.  (*If* I
get time tonight I will put some data summaries together.)
 
> Sukie:
> RE:  Ferret Misstatement
>
> Thanks for the information.  I looked up the quote on the CNN
> transcript:
 
> "COOPER: I want to put this in perspective for a moment.  Household
> pets and deer actually pose a far great threat to humans than bears.
> Let's put it in perspective.  According to Washington State University,
> approximately two Americans are killed each year by grizzly bear.
> But on average, moos kills six people every year; dog attacks are
> responsible for 18 deaths; bee stings are responsible for 40 deaths a
> year; while 140 people die in car crashes involving deer.  We found
> this interesting: Pet ferrets are responsible for four deaths every
> year.  Well, who knew."
>
> Searching further on the Internet, apparently this statement came
> from a new book:
>
> "Last Breath : The Limits of Adventure" by Peter Stark
>
> From the chapter "The Sharp Sting of Paradise," on predators:
> The world's deadliest animals are snakes, which kill over 100,000
> people annually, followed by crocodiles (960 human deaths), and
> tigers (740). The much-feared shark falls far down the list -- only
> about seven victims annually worldwide -- making it a lightweight
> compared to the ostrich, which when cornered can kick viciously with
> hammerlike feet and sharp talons and kills some 14 people every year.
> As for the ferocious grizzly bear, it ranks about the same as
> mustelids (weasels, skunks, and the like), which kill an average of
> four humans a year, primarily pet ferrets attacking unattended babies.
>
> http://www.booknoise.net/lastbreath/index.html
>
> Statements pulled from books, such as this one are very difficult
> to debunk at the point of the reporting (Coope's statement).  Last
> year an Infectious Disease doc from UCLA wrote a book,
> "Bitten," which also was quoted in MENS's MAGAZINE.
>
> I wrote a letter to the Editor from the AFA.   The Editor, however,
> asked if his sourcing was mistaken.  It was not.  The magazine
> article was reporting on a published book -- no more.  So I could
> not get anywhere with a response or retraction.  Indeed, I actually
> ended up purchasing the book and read the section about ferrets.
> The author's material was based on old propaganda put out by the
> California Department of Health back in the 1980's.
>
> The book above is probably derived from the same old
> misinformation.  [There is nothing at the CDC Mortality Statistics
> site that I am able to find on a quick search.]
>
> When I represented the American Ferret Association, we had long
> discussions about how to address this kind of misinformation.
> Technically anyone can say what they want under the First Amendment's
> Freedom of Speech.  If one can prove harm --- that is, slander, then
> one can sue for retraction and damages, but you may know how difficult
> this is -- and costly to go after folks legally.
>
> In addition, if one makes noise about such misstatements, it can
> actually bring more "buzz" around a book, rather than to "bury it."
>
> May I propose the following:
>
> Get a copy of this book.  Buy one (I bought a copy of "Bitten".)
> Read it and review it -- submit balanced reviews to the Amazon and
> other website review sites.  But it cannot all be about ferrets.
> One can say, while the book may be exciting as read, but the the
> information upon which it is based is severely flawed, misinterpreted,
> nonexistent, fictitious, etc.
>
> If the book does refer to a formal statement by a government
> organization (including Calif, that is the point at which the
> FERRET COMMUNITY should be getting active.
[Posted in FML issue 4977]