The Animal Protection Institute (API) is launching a campaign to General
Mills about the shape of the Yoplait yogurt cups.  They say the cups if
tossed outside and in landfills catch small animal heads and lead to
unnecessary deaths by suffication or starvation.
 
I've written the following letter, and if anyone else would like to join in
for the ferret's sake, please do.
 
Pamela E. Troutman
STAR* Ferrets
P. O. Box 1714
Springfield, VA 22151-0714
 
Steve Sanger, President
General Mills Incorporated
P. O. Box 1113
Minneapolis, MN 55440
800-967-5248
[log in to unmask]
 
January 15, 1998
 
Mr. Sanger:
 
I started eating yogurt after graduating from college.  That was twenty
years ago for me.  Thirteen years ago, I was introduced to my first ferret.
I now share my home with 14 ferrets and two cats.  Twelve years ago, I
stopped bringing home Yoplait yogurt.
 
You see, ferrets love yogurt too, as well as an infinity to explore.  The
shape of your Yoplait container is just the right design for disaster.
Ferrets get their heads wedged in, trying to get the licks off the bottom of
the container, but they then can't get their heads out.  I've freed ferret's
heads from many things, and I will not have dangerous shaped items such as
your yogurt container in my home after such an incident.
 
Your yogurt container offers no method of survival or escape for a ferret -
there is no place for a ferret to grasp and push out.  There is no way to
back out, the ears and fur direction keep the Yoplait container in place.
Ferrets are capable of climbing into trash containers inside the home, and
finding a tasty treasure, will hyperventilate attempting to free themselves
once the container is licked clean inside, or the air in the container gets
too warm.  Ferrets can die of heat prostration with temperatures over 85
degrees.
 
Please redesign your yogurt containers, for the sake of the third most
popular companion house pet in the United States.  Over seven million
ferrets will thank you.
 
Sincerely,
 
Pamela Troutman
Director,
Shelters That Adopt & Rescue
Ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 2193]