Q: "I missed all the hoopla about the picture of the ferret killing the
chicken. Can you fill me in?"
A: I'd rather "fill in" the photographer and the editor of the book.
Filled in, like at the bottom of a hole...
To start off (and why I'm answering this on the FML), the photo was not one
of a ferret killing a chicken. Where was no death, no carnage, no blood.
Let me fill you in on the facts as I know them. The book is Karen Dale
Dustman 1998 "Ferrets! A Fun and Care Book for Today's Pet Owner from the
Publishers of Ferrets USA Magazine." 112 pp. Bowtie Press; Irvine,
California. (Photos by Renee Stockdale). My version is about 8.5 by 11
inches and is a paperback. $16.95 USA.
The picture in question is on page 10. It shows a grassy area with a red
hen on one side of the photo and a ferret in a stalking mode on the other.
The caption reads "Throughout history, people have taken advantage of the
predatory nature of ferrets by using them to hunt game and control the rat
population." Now, the ferret appears to be in the "full alert" mode, and
seems to be going after the hen. What you don't know is the photo has been
digitally changed (Photoshopped); a harness and leash has been removed from
the photo. Interestingly enough, on page 63 there is a picture of the same
ferret, only this time the leash and harness remain in place, with a
caption that says, "A harness and leash allows a curious ferret to safely
venture out and explore the exciting world."
The picture is horrible because without the leash and harness, the ferret
is a stalking predator, but with restraint, it simply becomes a curious pet
trying investigate a hen. The combination of ferret body language and
caption in the altered photo create a false impression of ferret predatory
nature; one that is dishonest and misleading. This dishonesty is worse
because one of the arguments for keeping ferrets out of California is
because of the fear that they will kill poultry.
On a different level, the photo is just plain dishonest. Because the
ferret was straining against a leash (as all ferrets do), the removal of
the leash shifts the visual impact of the body language from "curious" or
"outdoor-excited" to "stalking." Also, because of the removal of the leash,
we don't know if the ferret was actually trying to get at the chicken, or
simply to pull away from the person. Why was the leash and harness removed
anyway? Now get this; "For artistic reasons." Apparently, Bowtie Press
felt the creation of a misleading and inaccurate photo was ok because it
made it a better art picture.
Well, I made a stink about on the FML, and lots of good people wrote to
Bowtie press and demanded some sort of changes be done. While I was
foaming at the mouth and screaming CaCa obsenities, Jeanne Carley spoke
words of restraint and wisdom and won some concessions, which included a
retraction in Ferrets USA magazine (which I have yet to see but might have
missed), and a promise to remove the picture from future printings of the
book. She has so far failed to get a copy of the original picture in order
to use it as evidence should the Fish and Gestapo try to use the book
against ferret legalization, because of problems with Stockdale, a staff or
contract photographer for Bowtie Press.
Personally, I think the before and after shots should be published with the
retraction, and then no one would need copies of the original, and the
Fishing Gestapo would be idiotic to use it.
Q: [FML thread on books, including Dr. Judith Bell's]
A: Dr. Bell has forgotton more about ferrets than I know, and I regard her
book to be one of the better ferret books on the market. It is not a "fad"
book, published to cash in on ferret popularity, nor an ego book, but one
sincerely designed to help ferret owners. Are there things in the book
that are incorrect or considered wrong? Sure there are; who can ever write
a book today that will be still correct a decade later? As they say,
hindsight is always 20:20; each day new knowledge is added to the old, and
what was once thought of as correct, is now seen in a different light. It
is unfair to be critical of the past, using the knowledge of today.
What bothers me more than a mistake is the intent behind the mistake. Dr.
Bell's "mistakes" are ones of historical change or of differnces of opinion.
Similarly, there are mistakes in Deborah Jeans' book, also of an
unintentional nature. Contrast those intentsions with that of the editor
of Dustman's "Ferrets!," who choose to edit a photograph into something
dishonest and misrepresentative of ferrets in general. There is a great
deal of difference between "mistake" and "misrepresentation," and Bowtie
Press and "Ferrets!" went well past that line.
Mistakes happen as a part of human nature, and rapid and honest admissions
and sincere and timely attempts at rectification allows trust to be
preserved. I have yet to see that happen at Bowtie Press. At least Dr.
Bell is only guilty of her book being slightly out-of-date.
Bob C and 22 MO Ferrets Possessing Tremendous Moral Character
[Posted in FML issue 2425]
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