We'll soon be photostating the latest stuff in for the various people and
organizations which get copies and sending those out, so folks who have the
first batch of letters who feel like refreshing my memory about their snail
mail addresses would save me a few minutes work.
 
Having gotten no replies from some states yet, Diane Rogers and I have been
touching base in multiple ways and with other people who might be involved
in the decisions.  Only negative so far was CA (and there were some
nebulous things we have been working on -- HI still to go on that score)
but CA MIGHT now go with the Compendium once the studies all appear in
refereed journals.  (Of course, ferrets will still be illegal there, but
safer, and maybe with one objection removed.)  Right now there's about an
80% hit rate IF you include the handful with long procedures to follow
before they also follow the Compendium -- so don't automatically that
non-enclosure here means the Compendium is being followed though it is
likely to be at least on a state level -- also, some states have renegade
local departments which aren't following the Compendium.)
 
Right now I am waiting for replies to phone calls and or e-mails froma
number of states including (but not limited to):
Nevada (Dr. Bosomworth), New Mexico (Dr. Edith Umland), Oklahoma (Dr. Burke
Healy), and Oregon (Dr. Emilio DeBess).  The reason I have put these states
down here for you to see is that they are among those locales which have not
replied.
 
Have new addresses and phone numbers to try (but it got too late) for:
Delaware, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee from which we also have
not heard.
 
NEED YOUR HELP for finding further addresses (and phone numbers and names of
your state vets) for: Mississippi, the North Mariana Islands, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
 
Tonight I have spoken with Dr. Robert Mead the State Vet of Washington,
located at their Dept.  of Agriculture, 1-360-902-1878.  He said that
Washington IS following the '98 Compendium.  The local departments are
autonomous, but are NOT inclined to kill anything except bats because
Washington does not have terrestrial rabies (though it lost two people to
bat rabies last year -- one to silver and one to brown).
 
Also spoke with the Assistant State Veterinarian (but we had to be very
quick so I didn't write down his name as he talked -- just noted it was a
common R last name so don't know if it was Roberts or Rogers or...) at
1-801-538-7160.  Utah IS following the '98 Compendium and he expected NO
problems with local departments.
 
I'm tired.  Diane Rogers laughed about my reluctant exposure to all this
assorted state beaurocracy by telling me that I am no longer a virgin.  She
works for Social Security Administration.  That's what we used to say about
people when they'd had their first serious primate bite.  Sigh...
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 2217]