Early this morning I sent a press release about Beavis to all the local TV
stations and newspapers.  About 1 pm I got a call from Channel 3 WKYC, the
local ABC affiliate.  They wanted to do a story.  They were unable to get a
hold of the owners, so asked to interview me.  I said I would meet them at
my house in 15 minutes and called my daughter, just home from the first day
of school.  "Eek, my hair's a mess." Yes, Joy is a teenager.
 
I was interviewed, various ferrets were filmed, some being held by Joy. The
reporter wasn't sure if it would make the 6 pm news, as it was getting late,
but it would be on 11 pm for sure.
 
It made the 6:00.  The teaser before the commercial showed Joy with 2 of
Bev's ferrets (Houdini and Bouncer).  "Ferreting out the truth.  Did a
ferret needlessly die?"
 
After commercial, it was the first story.  They talked about the increase in
rabies in the state over the last year (but didn't say then it was only
along the eastern border with PA).  They said a family pet ferret was put to
death for testing after biting someone.  They interviewed someone from
Environmental Health (not Bill Van Curan, but I forgot name at the moment)
who said unfortunately the shedding period in ferrets is unknown so there is
nothing else they can do but kill it.
 
Then they showed me, wearing my Kodo tshirt though I don't think it was
recognizable.  I said the state regs were last updated in 1995 and important
shedding studies have been completed since then, and that the results were
completely compatible with a quarantine period.  They said the results on
Beavis' test were not back yet, but that rabies was very very rare in
ferrets [cute closeup of sable ferret].
 
They they switched the story to about increased efforts in the area to
insure people got their dogs and cats vaccinated.  No mention was made that
ferrets can be vaccinated or that Beavis was.  There did say no cases of
rabies had been reported in the county.
 
They may reedit for the 11:00 news, so my vcr is ready.  I've gotten way too
little sleep the last few days to stay up and watch it.
 
Linda Iroff
North Coast Ferret Shelter
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2046]