As we know the CA excuse of ferrets not becoming legal include such things
as being a danger to children, a rabies vector and the like, we can look at
each of the 'excuses'..
 
Danger to small children: The chance of being bitten by dogs or cats is much
higher then ferrets, but that is besides the point.  Children face many
dangers every day and the whole world is a potential danger.  Broken glass,
baseball bats, cars and other non-living things are far more worrysome then
animals, who are often only defending themselves against cruel children.  Or
in the case of dogs, cats, parrots, lizards, etc attacking infants, it is
usualy the fault of the parent for allowing an infant to be left in contact
with such animals.  Even most animals are smart enough to not let other
species near their babies.  How many people have been chased out of a corral
by a normaly docile mare who has a new foal?  Frankly the idea of making a
pet illegal due to posible danger to children is like making cars illegal
because a child might get hit by one crossing the street.  Parents should be
more responsible for their children.
 
Rabies vector: In my studies, I have found that humans are 2.5 times more
likely to get rabies then ferrets, but do you see manditory rabies vacine for
humans?  Ferrets are so naturaly imuned to rabies that many vets I have
talked to say they don't need the vacine, except to perhaps keep Health Dept
officials from killing ferrets for rabies testing..  Vacination acualy can
give ferrets rabies in rare cases where the wrong vacine is used.  Aside from
that, there has never been a single case of a human catching rabies from a
ferret, even with the very few ferrets that have acualy managed to get the
desease..
 
Danger to native wildlife & ground nesting birds: While New Zealand has had
a few problems with ferrets that were established there to control rabbits.
New Zealand wildlife is much different then California wildlife.  NZ has
many flightless, ground nesting bird species, such as the kiwi.  CA on the
other hand hasn't any completely flightless & ground nesting birds who are
open to preditation.  Look at it this way.  NZ's ground nesting birds had no
native small carnivores to worry about, but CA on the other hand, has many,
such as the long-tailed weasel, the bobcat, coyote, mountain lion, fox,
etc., not to even mention the poisonous snakes.  Ferrets might have it good
in a place with no native small preditors, such as New Zealand, but would
have no chance with compitition such as they would find in CA.
  Ferrets and their wild cousins, the Europeon Polecat, are lucky to have
come originaly from an area with little or no natural predators competing
with them.  The Europeon Polecat is even endangered in the wild and extinct
in some places, posibly due to foxes or feral cats and dogs killing them.
Even if the domestic ferret could survive in the wild in CA, it is highly
unlikely they could form colonies due to the presense of many native
predators, not to even mention what feral dogs and cats could do to ferrets.
Ferrets are not adaptable enough for a 'wild' CA lifestyle..
[Posted in FML issue 1229]