To Barbara Thomas:
 
Barb, do I agree with you 500 percent!  I breed ferrets and am totally
against in and line breeding.  I'm on a boxer mailing list and I am very
disappointed in the attitude of many of the breeders on that list who feel
this is an acceptable practice and the only way to get the good traits you
want.  Well, hidden bad traits have more of an opportunity to be expressed
when in and line breeding.
 
I was told that way back in the old days, humans inbred as well.  Sure, but
how many thousands of years ago was that?  And look at the deversity of the
human gene pool today.  Sure, some animals in/line breed in the wild....but
what happens to defective offspring?  THEY DIE!  Many animals start pushing
juvenilles (I know I spelled that wrong) out of their pack when they reach a
certain (breeding) age, to protect their gene pool - many of the big apes
and cats do it as well as other species.
 
Canablistic mothers pass on this trait to their daughters - however, if
these mothers eat their young (in the wild) there is no one left to pass on
this horrible trait to.  Humans tend to foster these kits off to other
mothers.  Without human interference, Darwin's theory of evolution -
survival of the fittness = is practiced in full force.
 
Pug faces, Sharpei's with their wrinkles, Munchkin cats with shortened
legs - these are sporadic mutations that man has purposely bred for who
knows why - the more wrinkles a SharPei has, the more desirable - yet
these wrinkles are nothing but genetic defects that often cause skin and
eye problems.  Munchkin cats have a missing leg joint - they can't jump -
and now breeders are purposely breeding this defect, asking huge amts of
money for these kittens, and want official recognition as a cat breed.
 
Bob - I too like a big face in a ferret, but not at the expense of its
dental health.
 
We need to think more about what's best for the animal and not just our
own personal preferences.
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
Western New York and Finger Lakes
   Ferret Association
Rochester, NY
[Posted in FML issue 1470]