Hi Everybody...
 
After reading the posts concerning the Ferrets Anonymous legal situation out
here in California I thought I'd write and fill you all in a bit...
 
Before I get into Pat Wrights legal problems and how they came about, I need
to have you understand a few things... then when you are reading about what
led up to this legal 'circus' and start thinking things like 'But that's not
rational'..  or 'That's dumb, everybody knows....' or 'That will never hold
up in court!'... you will [I hope] return to this first section and read it
thru again and get an idea of what the reality of 'ferrets' is out here..
 
The [nearly 100%] reaction to seeing my Sugar Glider [5-6 in tall, rides in
a pouch that's 4x6 in, is nocturnal, has gliding webs, and eats fruit..etc.]
is 'Oh, Look, she's got a ferret!'..  or ''Hey Honey, look over there,
that's a ferret, I read all about them in a magazine last weekend!'..  or,
'Hi, can my son/daughter/Mother/ cousin pet your ferret?'... NOT 'is that a
ferret?' ,..  not 'What is that animal?' ..  and I hear this many times
every week..  Most [and I mean MOST] Californians wouldn't know a ferret
from a femur.  next..  Judges out here do NOT take the word of a private
citizen with an [obviously biased opinion] 'attitude' about animals over the
testimony of an expert in animals in general like the kennel keeper at the
dog pound or the officers from the Fish and Game dept.  [the animal lover
will say anything to protect a pet while the F & G officer has no personal
interest in the animal in question so would not lie about it..  right??]
next...There is no doubt [about three minutes research at the Lib.  will
confirm this one] Californians are suit happy..  out here if you have never
sued or been sued you will probably find out you have nothing to talk about
at social gatherings..  not to mention being considered so weird you may not
have any friends and be looked at oddly at your job..  next..  the price of
demanding your rights and standing on them can have you bankrupt and
homeless faster than greased lightning...!!!  OK, now with all that firmly
in mind..  let's look at Pat Wrights situation....
 
A ferret, found wandering loose, is 'taken in' by a woman with children..
those children immediately run around the neighbourhood and drag the local
pediatric set home to 'see' this funny looking critter..  Ignorant Mom does
nothing to stop the kids from 'entertaining' their furry guest..  the ferret
is stressed out, lonely, scared, and 'antsy' [very normal for a fuzzy that
has gotten 'lost' much less one that has been chased, yelled at, grabbed,
and is weakened by dehydration and no decent food for several days] ..  so
when one kid gets rough [like when with the big rough family dog at home]
the ferret nips to get the kid to stop roughing it up..  Kid gets
hysterical, tells Mom the ferret attacked for no reason ['I didn't do
nothin, honest Mom' !!] Mom goes ballistic and calls animal shelter, An.
Shelter officer hears 'vicious animal', 'bite', 'unprovoked attack', and a
lot of other blarney..  and rolls unit to rescuers residence ..  upon
arrival Officer is informed the animal is a ferret and immediately after the
'attack', has mysteriously vanished/while being told the ferret is really
very nice and harmless..  Officer having been brain washed about fuzzys
immediately believes the rescuer is lying and demands the 'wild animal; be
surrendered..  Immediately!!!..  Since Pat Wright is the only known '
authority' in the area he is called to aid the An Contr.  officer is
capturing [for killing and testing] this vicious ferret ..  Pat knows from
nothing abut the whole thing and says so..  It is assumed he too is lying
because he is a ferret fanatic that has been a thorn in the locals backsides
for years... He is virtually ordered to assist in finding and seizing the
offending ferret!!!
 
[A note here on the rights of the rescuer..  [yes , she was irresponsible
and dumb to let those kids near the ferret..  but refer to 1st section,..
she didn't know squat about fuzzys and used very poor judgement in this
instance] The lady could stand on her rights..  demand them in fact..  but
you jerk the authorities around out here at your own risk,, She was an inch
from arrest for possession of a proscribed animal, obstruction of justice,
child endangerment, criminal negligence, and several other felonies... now
if she had been charged, she would have gone immediately to jail [bond at
about $50,000.00 not unexpected for multiple felony counts / kids seized and
sent to foster care [it takes about 6 months of hearings and investigations
here to get your kids back, and that's for an allegation by an anonymous hot
line caller, much less a situation with a visible accuser and all the rest]
home trashed looking for 'evidence', and all the backlash of the previous,
including probable loss of home, job, and freedom for an indefinite period
of time]
 
Pat Wright, when the sequence of events is explained to him, declines to
assist the 'authorities' in an action he knows to be wrong, and only the
result of ignorance and poor judgement by adults..  not the vicious diseased
attack charge by the hysterical Mother of the pet abuser child.
 
However after learning the list of charges being held over the Mom [with
horrendous judgement] and the determination of the authorities to jail
anyone involved with this critter..[including Pat for not helping them (and
that is obstructin when it suits to have it be so] Pat realises that the
longer the fuzzy is being hidden the worse its going to get for everyone
involved and that no amount of reason will stop the hunt and destruction and
testing of the fuzzy.... After assurances that the 'charges' will be
thoroughly investigated, and the ferret treated fairly, Pat uses his network
of people and locates and effects the surrender of the fuzzy to authorities
before the rescuer is arrested and jailed for multiple felonies,.  so of
course the authorities 'know' Pat lied to them..  after all they couldn't
find a clue about where this fur kid was..  but Pat seemed to find it
'suspiciously' fast..
 
Even with all this..  no one was charged until the Mother of the bitten
child went nuts demanding the death and testing of the fuzzy..
 
and that is part one of this little fiasco..  more tomorrow..  I have to go
feed now..
 
 dayna frazier
 archivist/historian for Ferrets Anonymous in Calif.
 
 "Resident of... Marvelous Menagerie Of Mirthful Mayhem"
 dayna frazier  102046,3162  10-Oct-1996  03:06:26 PST
[Posted in FML issue 1718]