Yesterday, the following information from this abstract was posted to
the FML:

>Lewis CE, Bemis DA, Ramsay EC. Department of Comparative Medicine,
>College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901-1071, USA.
>
>A high prevalence of fecal Salmonella shedding in a collection of
>healthy exotic felids precipitated a change to two new commercially
>available feline diets. One year after initiation of the new diets,
>18 fecal samples from individual felines, their exhibits, and
>representative samples of the diets were cultured for Salmonella spp.
>Only one culture grew a Salmonella sp. Salmonella uganda was cultured
>from the feces of one snow leopard (Felis uncia).

AHA! So here is what we all need to do. Everyone who is concerned with
providing a good ferret diet, go read the ingredients of your kibble
bag, quick. If Snow Leopard *hit is one of the ingredients, DON'T FEED
IT! Stop immediately, because there is a salmonella risk.

Yes, some unscrupulous pet food manufacturers are including Snow
Leopard *hit as a 'filler', an essentially nonnutritive ingredient to
bulk up the product. It provides poor nutrition in and of itself, and
it is, (IMHO) terribly cruel to force these magnificent animals into
captivity where they are made to squat over open pet foot bags and try
to produce a bowel movement, all in the name of a quick buck.

Now some may argue that given the terrible conditions that wild Snow
Leopards are facing (excessive hunting for pelts, habitat loss), it is
a *good* thing that there is now a commercially viable use for them in
the pet food industry. Finally, these animals are worth more alive than
dead. Snow Leopard ranching for the pet food industry is a growth
industry in several Asian Republics. Still, I cannot help but feel pity
for these beautiful cats. Especially the occasional constipated Snow
Leopard, forced to subsist on a diet of chopped prunes and lentil
curry.

Please, join me now in boycotting Snow Leopard *hit.

http://www.snowleopard.org/

http://www.snowleopard.org/photos/videoclips/plightsl
(plight of the Snow Leopard Flash Movie Presentation)

http://www.recipezaar.com/105728
(The Horror that is Lentil Curry)

http://www.californiadriedplums.org/global/about.asp
(California Dried Plum Board. For Shame!)

Alexandra in MA

[Posted in FML 5428]