>I was also told by MR P Reid (VP) that they no longer re-home the jills
>when they have finished using them - I don't imagine he was lying when
>he said that 1990's project implemented by Judy Bell was over.
 
Later on some shelters worked up an arrangement.  That was discussed on
the FML at the time since some of the shelters had FHL members and since
I got the two parties talking together at the time.  As I said, though,
I do not know if that later arrangement is still in place.
 
Yes, Dr. Judy Bell did a LOT of good for ferrets when she was there.
Sadly, because a very argumentative person who is no longer around
(someone who had a website with false articles mixed in with real ones)
developed a dislike of her and began a campaign of harassment against
her, combined with family needs, she moved on to a university
professorship where she continues to help animals.  Maybe if she had
been able to stay there would have been yet more progress.
 
>Blaming Marshalls for the increase of insulinoma and adrenal disease
>is a far fetched argument.  All ferrets regardless of what farm they
>came from are susceptible to these diseases.  They are hormonal
>challenged once their are spayed/neutered.
 
Well, the neutering has not been found to have anything to do with
insulinoma.
 
Neutering at any age (though before the age of one year may be worse)
combined with too little complete darkness has been shown through
multiple rigorous formal study articles to be causative for adrenal
growths.
 
That said, there IS reason to think that there could be at least one
a genetic component which makes ferrets more vulnerable to such
endocrinological diseases such as insulinoma or adrenal disease, but
NOT reason to think at this point in time that a given source has a
higher percentage of such components in their animals.  A LOT more
will be known in 2007 or 2008 if progress slows when the UC Davis
study on this topic is completed.
 
>Seriously, Marshall gets all the blame here simply because they're
>the biggest target.  When a ferret has a tattoo, some people immediately
>make the assumption that it'll go adrenal by age 2.  If it happens, then
>that's their scientific evidence that applies to all MF ferrets.  If it
>doesn't happen, though -- like, say, if it lives to be 6 or 7 -- they
>don't notice.
 
Excellent point.  Hard numbers say so much more than impressions, yet
it is so easy for any of us to fall into relying on impressions.  Glad
you agree with me this time so that you made your salient points.
 
The PETA page: if people check past FML posts in the archives they will
notice several things that show it to be a set-up.  One that I recall is
that they showed snow in their outside conditions photo but the area not
only had not had snow that day but didn't even have snow on the ground at
the time as per multiple people living in that area and weather reports.
 
Another time PETA insisted that MF was going to open a branch in France.
Well, I contacted the French national and regional offices (which was
not easy since I don't speak French so a lot of work was involved) and
learned that there was never such a proposal made, and never the needed
permits sought.  It was a made-up story used to get publicity and nothing
more.
 
My big hope still is that at some point we will manage to improve APHIS
regulations and other regulations (such as ones related to over-the-top
conditions that can *easily* contribute to zoonotic disease) because that
would better help all.
[Posted in FML issue 5311]