I agree that hunting is "NOT WHAT FERRETS DO" in the U.S. (for the most
part), but they have been picked out as one of the lucky kinds of animals
that only have to look cute for their room'n'board.  In other words, they
are not "working" animals.  However--as mentioned in a previous post of mine
about barn critters (and responded to by a number of people saying they had
also seen or heard of barn=ferrets)--some ferrets are, indeed, working
animals and *do* hunt....mice, rats, birds, or whatever else threatens the
grain supply in a few horse barns around the world.  And some barn animals
(cats, ferrets, dogs, geese, whatnot) are sometimes killed or hurt in the
line of duty.  It's not a *good* thing, but it happens...but that doesn't
mean that every ferret, cat, dog, goose, whatnot, gets a pardon from working
for their living, nor does it mean that using domestic animals as working
animals is (or ought to be) illegal or immoral.  It just means that your
ferrets (and dogs, cats, geese, whatnot that you are owned by :-)) are
damned lucky not to have to do anything beyond look cute for their care.
 
Laurel
 
Laurel Gilbert, Am Cult Studies      *"Who controls the screen controls
[log in to unmask]               *the mind of the screen watcher. The
http://www.bgsu.edu/~lgilber/        *power struggles occur on screens."
Bowling Green State University, OH   *                -Timothy Leary
[Posted in FML issue 1460]