BRAVO BOb!
 
I as you have been from the onset very opposed to breeding programs
which implement crss breeding of mink / polecat into the domesticated
lines.  WHY SO?  Because the instinctive behaviors are brought back into
the lines and the animals are not easily handled for approximately 3
generatins!  I DO KNOW this - as I was involved in the AU breed program
some many years ago.  It did take at least 3 generations of kits before
they were not nasty bitey animals..( though it still was a while to get
the litter box ingrained as a toilet not a bed) .  and these were from
working stock (ferrets )nOT polecats.... not minks!
 
The equivalent is the situations across the country with wolf hybrids
which are mostly unlawful due to the unpredictability of the animal
within the human populace.  If you ever have the opportunity visit a
sanctuary ( I did) and see the animals that want to be wild-- but lack
the abilities and cannot function as domesticated dogs.  It is cruel
what a human will do to animals....
 
I did author an entire article on this exact topic and parelelled
the tribe placements of the wolf with the colony of the ferret--
unfortunately where submitted it was deemed controversial... and
therefore not printed, that was in 1998-1999... and I have not had the
time to find it again.
 
My two cents is thank you Bob C... for bringing up a tpic and making
extra points on how breeding instinctive nature into domesticity is not a
great thing.
 
Alicia D., volunteer
www.ferretwise.org
[Posted in FML issue 4678]