Clint--
       Hi there!  I take it from your note that you've managed to avoid
the worst of the uproar over pet ferrets where you live. :)  Sad to say
that there are forever similar cases popping up all over the country,
but some not quite so sensational or well-publicized.  Kansas and the
McDowell's home county did go a bit further than most, though.  Ask
any ferret lover from California about the lengths that the CFGD will
go to....  I live in Texas, and the closest city is Ft. Worth.  Ferrets
are illegal (supposedly) in Ft. Worth, yet they are sold in pet stores
there and animal control says that they'll return the animal to the
owner with a small ($20) fine.  I live in unincorporated Tarrant County,
so I don't have any laws specifically making ferrets illegal, but
neither are they specifically legal.  In the city where my parents live
(same county) ferrets are specifically legal.  My sister lives in this
same county, in a city between my home and my parents' home-- there
ferrets are not only illegal, the animal control folks are known to
kill them without asking questions or offering alternatives, and some
of those guys have even been overheard in city hall BRAGGING about how
they killed them some ferrets!  GGRRRRR!!  This is just what we face in
ONE county here!  The tactic taken on by the local ferret club here
has been to take on cities one at a time, beginning in the smaller,
more suburban ones rather than Ft. Worth or Dallas, and providing the
city council with documentation showing the domesticity of ferrets,
the availability of Imrab rabies vaccine as licensed by the USDA, and
other information regarding their suitability as pets and low incidence
of reported bites.  Then ferret lovers begin attending the council
meetings, getting speaking time on the agenda, and pushing to get
ferrets recognized as companion pets with a valid legal status and
animal control codes that help provide a little protection in the event
of a bit case.  In the past year to eighteen months, there have been
incidents involving ferrets, most involving alleged bites, such that
the ferret was killed for rabies testing regardless of circumstances
and history of the animal in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York City,
Minnesota, Virginia, Oregon, and now threatened in Kansas.  Do not
believe that your ferrets are safe from similar threats, as there is
just too much contoversy at too many levels (state, county, local,
in national health and veterinary organizations) regarding the
domestic vs. wild issue, rabies risk, injury risk, etc.  You might
come up against the same problem the McDowells did in that one state
agency (say Agriculture Dept.) says ferrets are domestic while another
(likely the Health Dept.) says ferrets are wild, therefore a strong
rabies risk requiring immediate destruction and testing of any ferret
that has bitten someone.
      The point to all this is to encourage you to get involved with
any local or state ferret group in your area and support their
legalization efforts.  If they aren't working toward that end, you
could start something!  Petitions might be useful at a city level
when you are asking the council to get some laws on their books
recognizing ferrets as domestic companion animals and specific codes
for animal control's dealings with ferrets.  The other place I can
think of that you might find a petition useful would be in mailings
to the state legislative representatives in your area--  show them that
this is something that their constituants really are interested in!
To stir up interest at the state level in these agencies, write letters
and/or visit the offices of your state's health, wildlife/game, and
agriculture offices.  Ask about their classification of ferrets (Mustela
furo) and what, if any codes, laws, or guidlelines apply to them.  Ask
for locations and verification details of any "wild populations" they
claim.  Ask for bite statistics on ferrets, and for comparison, cats and
dogs.  Ask for statistics regarding the number and results of ferrets
that were destroyed and tested for rabies.  Ask if the USDA licensing
of IMRAB for ferrets is recognized by the state's ag and zoonosis
offices.  Contact organizations such as FURO, *STAR, AFA, LOS, and the
CDFA for the documentation that you will need to support your efforts.
     Sorry if I sound a bit radical, it's not my intention, I just want
what's best for my furry babies!  The list of stuff above are just
suggestions that will help to make a difference for ferrets and their
safety from unreasonable demand and seizure.
 
              Best to you and your ferrets,
 
                      Debra  with Pixie, Shadow, and Laska
 
Ferret Lover:  Business Person
 
[Posted in FML issue 0698]