Hello everyone,
 
I just had the most disappointing discussion with the editor in chief at
Bowtie Press, Ruth Berman, regarding the ridiculous photo of a ferret
stalking a chicken in Bow Tie's new book Ferrets!  I began by saying that
much of our resources in California over the years have been spent debunking
the DFG myth that ferrets have an impact on poultry.  This myth still raises
its ugly head from time to time and we have to get out the letters from
poultry associations in CA and across the country stating that ferrets have
no impact on their industry.  Recently DFG points to waterfowl as targets of
the ferret's appetite.  Another myth that we have documentation to debunk.
In any case as we all know, ferrets do not survive outdoors, they get their
meals indoors, and while a stray hungry ferret might get lucky enough to
snag a domesticated chicken, I have never heard of ferrets being used to
hunt birds anywhere, ever.  It's a very misleading photograph and shows a
complete lack of sensitivity to our issue and to the facts.
 
Ruth Berman responded that she'd received a few e-mails and was very
disappointed with the ferret folks for not reading the whole book and
realizing that it was pro-ferret!  I don't know what you expect from a
ferret care book but I expect as a given that it would be pro-ferret.
Using Ms. Berman's method of evaluation, when an opera singer hits a bad
note the public should look the other way and consider the many good notes
that the singer hit dead on.  Right.  I also told her that DFG was NOT
going to read the book but would seize on the staged photo.  She didn't
have a clue what I was talking about.
 
I complained that the photo was set up and while yes ferrets are predators,
the caption implies that they were used to hunt birds.  It completely
misrepresents their hunting history and will probably be used against us
here in CA.  She replied that was not the case, that nowhere in the book
does it state that ferrets were used to hunt birds.  OK, you be the judge.
Here's the photo: we're on a grassy incline with perhaps 8-10 feet of
foreground and 25 feet or so of background, an open field.  A red
chicken/rooster is on the left and a very crouched, stalking like ferret
approaches it from the right.  The caption is as follows: "Throughout
history, people have taken advantage of the predatory nature of ferrets by
using them to hunt game and control the rat population." Let's see, there
are no rats in the photo and game can mean just about anything.  Why
couldn't they have shown a proper rabbit hunting photo from the UK?  Too
expensive, too time consuming (photo research) too difficult, too accurate?
 
Ms. Berman said that she and Bow Tie Press stand behind the photo that, and
I quote, "the ferret was in its natural environment doing its natural
thing." I responded that it was a set up and that is patently obvious.
Karen Dustman, the author, told me that the photographer, Renee Stockdale,
took her ferret outside to play with her chickens.  When I complained that
no one in their right mind would take a ferret out in a grassy field and
just set it down, Ms. Berman told me that the ferret was on a leash which
was later removed electronically.  So we have a set up photo whose
misrepresentation is electronically enhanced to further distort reality.
This is absurd, I can't understand how they can defend this.
 
Frankly, Ms. Berman's attitude was incredible.  It was pretty much, thanks,
we stand by the book, its accurate, its great, what's wrong with you ferret
people?  Ms. Berman struck me as obviously someone with very little
knowledge of ferrets or of the issues surrounding them.  By dismissing our
concerns, it is apparent that she, and Bow Tie, are insensitive to
difficulties we face here.  Ms. Berman did say that she supports
legalization-- gee thanks, I wonder why, and that kind of haphazard regard
for the facts is the kind of support we don't need.
 
Since Bow Tie stands behind the great unstaged photo of a ferret (on a leash
but with the leash removed) that the photographer brought outside to play
with her chickens, this is a book I have to recommend against purchasing.
There may be some great information in there but why support people like
these?  They obviously do not care about the concerns of people who really
love ferrets and fight for them, and really know them.  I hope clubs,
shelters and individuals will boycott Bow Tie until they produce a better
product and a better attitude.
 
I hesitate to give Ms. Berman's e-mail address, she appears completely
insensitive to what we have to say, but they should know how people feel
about an issue like this.  I recommend that ferret clubs and shelters let
Ms. Berman know that they will not promote this book or this company until
they show a higher regard for the facts.
 
Ruth Berman's address is: [log in to unmask]
 
Jeanne Carley
Californians for Ferret Legalization (CFL)
410 Mountain Home Road  Woodside, CA  94062
(650) 851-3750   <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.ferretnews.org-- CFL Website
CALIFORNIANS, YOU CAN FIND OUT YOUR STATE SENATOR BY VISITING THIS SITE!!
CALL AND WRITE YOUR SENATOR AND GOV. WILSON--DON'T LET OUR BILL DIE!
[Posted in FML issue 2331]