Hello everyone,
 
Eden had a question about matching funds and CFL.  Since Californians for
Ferret Legalization's sole purpose is the legalization effort in California,
we are not 501(c)3-- public charity corporations cannot spend more than 10%
of their funds influencing legislation or in the political arena.  Since CFL
is the sponsor or AB 363, that automatically excludes us and we've never
even considered applying for 501(c)3 status.
 
However, the Ferret Education Foundation founded by my father and myself,
has received 501(c)3 status.  In addition, our matching fund committment has
risen from 50,000.00 to 100,000.00.  That means that there is a dollar for
dollar matching pledge of 100,000.00 for an eventual endowment of
200,000.00.  This money is intended to protect ferrets via the production of
educational brochures and possibly videos.  And, even before poor Kodo's
fate, the rabies issue has been very much on our minds.  After all, we come
from THE most rabid anit-ferret state in the union!  There are ways of
helping this issue as a 501(c)3 that doesn't put our foundation status at
risk and we'll pursue those avenues as we can.
 
In reference to another post, I tried to insert a quarantine time into our
bill but was pretty much overruled by the CVMA and our author's office since
it became clear that it would be an effective tool for our opponents to use
against us.  Currently we can point to 48 states where ferrets are legal but
how many states with mandated quarantines (via state law)?  Not many, and
none with such a hostile environment as our own.  As we (hopefully) progress
through the Senate, I think you will see how difficult and how tough the
odds are for our success with this bill absent a quarantine.  I believe it
wouldn't have a chance with a quarantine provision.
 
I did receive a committment from Dr. Dick Shumacher, executive director of
the California Veterinary Medical Association, to help us work on a
regulation incorporating a quarantine for vaccinated ferrets that bite, once
ferrets become legal in California.  I will probably need some of the media
clippings from the Kodo story to help remind him that there really is a
need, so those of you who have saved them, please keep them handy.
 
Interestingly, there have been several precedents of ferret bites with
quarantine here in CA.  Pat Wright initiated one of them in San Diego when
he successfully (at least for the ferret) received a committment from Animal
Control for the quarantine of Gabby.  Pat and FA, unfortunately, paid the
price.
 
Also, about six months ago, I picked up 2 or three ferrets at the local
humane agency and was told that there was one more in quarantine for a bite.
I offered to quarantine the ferret if they wanted me to and it was decided
that would be fine.  When I picked up the little darling-- a kit the size of
my Apple mouse, she, of course bit me!  Poor thing had been dumped in the
men's room of a local library and was in a state of sheer panic.  I spent
the next 24 hours picking her up and ingratiating myself with her, petting,
snacks, lots of affection until she wasn't afraid of me anymore.  Then she
began to play and still bit pretty hard.  That's the time I let her know
that biting that hard wasn't something I would tolerate and she was terrific
in just a few days.  After 10 days, the humane agency asked if she was
healthy and she was and that was the end of it.  So far, six months later,
I'm healthy too!  :)
 
I believe that there has to be some hysteria injected into the situation for
there to be a problem and I do anticipate such a scenario sometime in CA,
especially when ferrets are legalized, given the lies and possible
vindictiveness of our Department of Health Services.
 
And finally, yes, we are concerned about ferrets suffering needlessly here
in California as they do in many places where the uneducated buy them then
discard them.  That's another reason why we decided to build a foundation
dedicated to the domesticated ferret.  In our opinion, it's just about he
most fragile pet someone can choose and it's critical to get information out
that the ferret's not for everyone.  But illegal?  That drives owners
underground and there's no stopping people from acquiring a ferret and
bringing it into CA-- happens every day, just going by my mail and phone
calls.
 
Like everyone, I was very distressed to hear about KODO.  Mandating rabies
vaccination then refusing to recognize its efficacy is the epitome of all
that is wrong with government bureaucracies.  Its irrational and is certain
to provoke responses in kind from the public.  Who, after all, would now
willingly surrender their vaccinated ferret for testing in Michigan?
 
Quarantine is the new frontier.  I said this in my last article on the
legalization update for Ferrets, USA and I say it again.  No ferret is safe
until states adopt quaranties, especially for healthy, vaccinated ferrets
that bite, shed studies or no shed studies.  After all, now that they're
testing the bat strain, what's to stop them from testing the sabre-tooth
tiger strain?  And don't take my facetious comment as a condemnation of the
studies, I've supported them financially, and will in the future, but I also
see the ferret held once again, to a higher standard than other domesticated
pets and I don't like it!
 
Jeanne Carley
Californians for Ferret Legalization
410 Mountain Home Road  Woodside, CA  94062
(415) 851-3750   <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.ccnet.com/~beisners/gsfs/lobby.html
CALIFORNIANS, YOU CAN FIND OUT YOUR ASSEMBLYMEMBER AND STATE SENATOR BY
VISITING THIS SITE!! IT'S TIME TO CALL AND WRITE YOUR   SENATOR--THE FIRST
COMMITTEE VOTE WILL HAPPEN SOON!
[Posted in FML issue 1972]