A ferret in Lake County Ohio reportedly bit someone.  The County wants to
seize the ferret for rabies testing.  Please call or fax the Lake County
Prosecutor's office at 216-350-3684 voice, 216-350-2585 fax.  The chief
prosecutor is Charles Coulson.
 
PLEASE BE POLITE but urge them that now is the time to set a more
intelligent and humane policy towards ferrets by allowing a quarantine
period.
 
The facts of the case: A woman who owns a greeting card shop has a ferret
that is allowed to roam the shop.  A customer was bit/scratched?  on
Saturday August 16.  After returning home to Wheeling, West Virginia, the
customer saw her doctor and the case was reported to the health department.
 
The County has not yet served any formal papers on the owner, but has made
threats.  The owner previously turned over the ferret to a third party and
retained an attorney.
 
I have also just heard of another bite case in my own Lorain County.
Details are sketchy, but I will followup as they become available.
 
Linda Iroff
North Coast Ferret Shelter
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2040]