PRESS RELEASE
Kodo, The Ferret,  Incident: One Year Later
 
Lansing, Michigan
According to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, domestic ferrets are
the third most popular pet (not including fish) in America.  In May, 1997,
ferret owners in Michigan and throughout the world were outraged when Kodo,
the ferret, was killed in order to be tested for rabies after allegedly
having bitten someone.
 
October 1, 1997, Rep.  Eileen DeHart (D) introduced House Bill 5219
requiring the same rabies quarantine procedure for ferrets that applies to
cats and dogs.  When the Center of Disease Control released their rabies
control recommendation in November, 1997, and subsequent 1998 COMPENDIUM OF
ANIMAL RABIES CONTROL, which was published by the National Association of
State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc., ferret owners in the State of
Michigan breathed a collective sign of relief.  However, since this time,
there still remains a great deal of confusion over the status of ferrets in
bite/scratch situations since the State Community Public Health Department
has not implemented any clear, definitive guidelines for the State of
Michigan.
 
By incorporating the Compendium guidelines for ferrets into state statute,
ferrets will be protected from local law enforcement agencies or county
health departments interpreting different rules from the CDC guidelines.
HB5219(H1) is supported by the Dept of Agriculture, Michigan Veterinary
Medical Association, and The Great Lakes Ferret Association.
 
HB5219(H1) was approved by the Michigan House of Representatives February
24, 1998 and referred to the Senate Committee on Hunting, Fishing &
Forestry.  Since that time, the Chairman of that Committee, Sen. David Jaye
(R), refuses to put this bill on the agenda citing that although he neutral
on the issue, hunting and fishing issues are his primary concern.
Initially, Sen.  Jaye said he did not want to hear from constituents outside
his district.  He has also openly admitted that HB5219 is of no concern
because "ferret people" do nothing for him or his campaign whereas the "gun
control people" have given time and money to him.  "Ferret people" are not
lobbyists.  They are merely pet owners who are very attached to their pets.
Ferrets are legal pets in Michigan and to kill them for rabies testing when
a quarantine is sufficient is cruel, not only to the animal, but for the
owners as well.  Sen.  Jaye's attitude is fundamentally wrong and needs to
be addressed.  There is also concern HB5219(H1) is before the wrong
committee.  HB5219(H1) was initially referred to the Senate Agriculture and
Forestry Committee until Sen.  Posthumus reassigned committees and this bill
went to its current committee.  The bill should belong to the recently
created Farming, Agribusiness, and Food Systems Committee.
 
The argument that this bill is unnecessary because the law already requires
ferrets who have bitten a person be put to death under the CDC guidelines
has no merit.  The change is needed because the older human guidelines, also
provided by the CDC, could cause confusion because they would conflict with
the Compendium's recommendations.  The Compendium is more thorough than the
CDC guidelines, and is available now, and stands alone (without the other
older and no longer accurate standards the might conflict with its
conclusions).
 
To bring attention to current concerns, The Great Lakes Ferret Association
is urging it members participate in a rally Thursday, April 30, 1998 at the
Capitol, beginning at 9 a.m.  This event will also commemorate the year
anniversary of Kodo's "kidnaping" by the State Health Department and the
beginning of a deep, emotional loss for not only his owners, Bob Jacobs and
Kathy Zimmer, but for ferret lovers throughout the state, across the United
States and the world.
 
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This press release is the result of the GLFA's meeting Sunday, April 19.
Dee
Beau & Nilla
[Posted in FML issue 2284]