Re. the BFF FLAP: Given all the panic I decided to check with Bob Oakleaf
whose opinion I trust (He's the BFF coordinator who made Sybil such a
success.) Here's what is going on.  1.  The person who wants to set up the
facility IS an animal lover but does NOT have the qualifications to even
get the critters, and did work for a while with two different (successful
and humane) programs involving BFFs but had ONLY SHORT employments with
each.  2.  The BFFs ARE receiving training in survival in the wild before
release (It's a sort of half-way house location.).  The expected mortality
IS high as it is with all releases but is NOT being done without reason.
The individuals are being studied to see what features may be indicators of
better success at release, and what modifications to the training may be
most useful.  This way they hope to further reduce the mortality among
young and fertile released BFFs.  3.  There is an associated study in which
elderly but still breeding females will be PERMANENT (according to current
plans -- but PLEASE remember that the BFF program is one N.  Gingerich has
personally ridiculed and tried to dismantle even though it's only a couple
of hundred grand a year for an entire species) residents and their young
are born and raised there in hopes of imprinting on an area (to improve the
chances of emergency intervention should it ever be needed).
 
                Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 1202]