Roary said:
>>(thanks to Sukie for clarifying this for me. She only used a small
>>hammer):
and Ardith replied:
>Hey Roary, you should be grateful she didn't whack you with her
>wattles ;)
LOL! I needed that! You two are such good people, and it means so much
that you care about ferrets and actually do things to help them such as
sending your letters.
***** Seriously, folks, I have been worried -- very worried. *****
The thing it, the current state of progress with the USDA/APHIS is the
farthest we as a ferret community have ever gotten in our effort to
increase the ages of ferrets at sale nationally, and to end the deaths
in airports of transported ferrets, and to have decent enough standards
that the really abusive farms will be violation of reasonable standards.
This is it. This our chance!
What has happened? Well, a lot of people have told others about the work
but very few have written to APHIS/USDA.
Folks, each and every time in this venture that the USDA says that it
needs feedback we have to show that the public really wants ferrets to
be safer.
Why?
Well, remember what a mid sized farm did in Maryland to efforts to
improve that state's law? It cried pity-me tears and it got one pet
industry organization's lobbyists involved. Do you really think it
won't do that to the hard work people here did the last time in venture
when the USDA needed feedback? HUNDREDS OF YOU WROTE THEN! This time
the replies so far only number 29 so far on
http://docket.epa.gov/edkfed/do/EDKStaffCollectionDetailView?
objectId=0b0007d4809252bb !
If you don't write in we will lose all that hard work we all put in.
We will go back to people constantly expressing their frustration about
things people have been trying to improve for about 20 years! This is
the single route through which we can actually make improvements
nationally.
With one letter you can save ferret lives, as long as enough of us send
those letters!
Here are some points: we want ferrets sold and shipped at no younger
than 8 weeks of age. This will allow them more time before weaning, more
time socializing, and time to get in the first of the teeth (2 moiars
which come in at about 50 and 53 days) that will permit them to deal with
kibble. This will go a long way to keeping down the numbers of ferrets
with failure to thrive, with prolapses, or with other health or
behavioral problems caused by too early separation.
We want ferrets who are shipped to have better protection from the
extremes of temperature and weather. We want them to have reasonably
dry bedding, available water and available food. According to one
source there some places who have very poor designs for this result,
and according to another there is a farm whose shipping containers
are better designed and do not usually have these problems. If one can
do it then others can. We also want mentions that nothing heavy should
be placed on top of these cages, and that they should not be placed next
to, under, or above hazardous chemicals or containers which could freeze
them to death (which has happened in the past with air transport of some
other animals).
We want farms to have their cages be large enough and safe enough. All
too often we've heard here of ferrets who are amputees due to being in
cages with bottom wires that had large openings.
You get the general idea!
It is your choice what you write. You can send something as short as, "I
support ferret specific standards and older ages for sale and shipping
because I am so tried of seeing suffering kits in petstores." to sending
personal stories, to including any of the additional points above, to
adding your own things that would change the conditions at farms,
distributors, and in transport.
We are at risk of having all of the work we as a ferret community have
done so far toward this progress!
It's easy. You can send an edocket, or you can write a physical
letter (Just print out 4 copies for them.) Mine was two pages in
each ( 8 pages total in a large manilla envelop) and weighed just
under 3 ounces on our scale so in case our scale was weighing wrong
I put on the postage for 3 oz which I found in
http://postcalc.usps.gov/ and put it in the mailbox. If your letter is
1 page each (4 pages total) of standard printer paper and in a regular
envelop then it should mail with just a first class stamp -- 37 cents.
Address:
* Docket No. 04-088-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD
* APHIS, Station 3C71
* 4700 River Road Unit 118
* Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.
Please, be careful to state that your comment refers to Docket No.
04-088-1.
If you want to end your frustration and your tears by getting better
standards nationally then you need to write in! Don't delay any longer!
We absolutely must have a lot of people writing in support of these
improved standards.
For more details see
http://www.ferretcongress.org
and
http://www.ferret.org/
Be part of the solution! If you don't write -- as is happening right now
with too many of you -- then you inadvertently make yourself part of the
reason that such bad standards will continue at farms, in transport, and
at distributors. Any time the USDA asks, "Who supports ferret specific
standards to save ferret lives?" we have got to stand up and be counted.
Showing our love of ferrets in this way is what will improve standards
nationally. This is not just a time to make comments, it is placing your
vote on the side of ferrets so that all of our hard work can continue its
progress toward finally getting the standards ferrets need.
***** Right now, folks, you have me worried. *****
This isn't something anyone else can do for you.
With one letter you can help save those ferrets. 37 cents postage if
you send by mail, and a little time... That is all that you need to
give to help this effort for national ferret-specific standards reach
the next rung at APHIS/USDA.
[Posted in FML issue 4973]
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