Howdy:
A few comments on the following post:
 
>From: Andrea Miralia <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Thu, 14 Apr 1994 12:55:21 -0400
 
>I haven't had a chance to look in my PETA files yet, but I could SWEAR
>that they support adoption of animals from shelters.
----Yes, but reread posts on several recent listings which comment on
PETA's oficial line.  PETA does support adoption, but ultimately is against
pet ownership.  Let the domesticated animals fade away, is their stance.
 
>The reason I became interested in animal rights and vegtarianism,
>incidentally, was because of ferrets!!  Ferrets and their cousins
>have (obviously) been used for fur coats...
----ferrets have really not been used much as a source of fur for coats,
since they lack dense guard hairs and their fur is not very
water-resistant.
 
>or thyroid?  Or just &*&%$ MArshall Farms genetic screwup?  (Frito
----Is anyone aware of any study that compared genetic diversity in the
progenitor of ferrets to that of a breeding colony such as Marshall Farms,
and related it to fitness?  There are many examples from wild animals (eg,
cape hunting dogs) that do not support the theory of inbreeding depression,
presumably because of rapid elimination of deleterious genes by selection.
 
>PS-- anyone know about behavioral similarities between ferrets and
>opposums and skunks?  I may begin wildlife rehabilitation and am
>wondering if they would get along.
----I would not recommend putting any wild animal together with your
ferret. It will likely not be a playmate, but rather prey or predator, to
your ferret.
 
Ciao - DAVE and "the girls"
 
[Posted in FML issue 0798]