All,
 
HELP!
 
Anyone who loves ferrets and is outraged at the senseless killing of them by
state officials.  A young Maryland kit needs your help.
 
Last December 23, a 12 year old girl took her new ferret kit to a friend's
house to show her her new ferret.  During the visit, the kit (as kits will)
nipped the friend.  Public Health officials found out about it and convinced
the parents that their daughter will die of rabies unless she takes the
antirabies series OR they kill and test the kit to determine if the shots are
necessary.  This is 25 days following the bite incident.
 
We're talking a housebound, baby ferret.  We're talking 25 days and the kit
is alive and well.  The rabies risk is ZERO folks.  Many communities allow a
10-14 day quarantine period for ferrets, recognizing the European studies
showing an 8 day period from first symptoms to death in a ferret who has been
injected with the rabies virus.
 
Local ferret people have convinced the County authorities not to kill the
ferret, but now the State Vet has stepped in and is demanding the ferret's
death this Wednesday.  The killing is senseless, and meaningless.
 
Please, tomorrow morning - afternoon at the latest, call Jack Grigor's
office.  He's the one ordering the killing.  Be polite and professional, but
let him know how you stand.  Let him know that the entire nation is looking
at this.
 
  *** Call, Jack Grigor  (410) 841-5810
 
 
  Dick Bossart
[Posted in FML issue 1078]