Today, 6/10/96, 3 young healthy ferrets were needlessly executed in NJ.
Here's a summary of the story.
 
On May 28, a 21 year old male went to home to buy a ferret.  The owner had 3
ferrets, 2 were vacinated against rabies, one that was not.  While handling
the ferrets, all nipped and bit him, slightly breaking the skin.  The buyer
took the case to the NJ Health Dept.  and court.  In the Wed.  6/5 Newark
Star ledger, Superior court Judge Reginald Stanton contacted the Health
Dept.  and learned that only 14 cases of rabies were detected in ferrets
between 1958 and 1995.  Thus he ruled that the ferrets should not be tested
foro rabies (which requires being put to sleep) and the seller should pay
for rabies vaccines for the buyer, in case the buyer was exposed to rabies.
The buyer and his attorney appealed, and on 6/6 an appelate judge overruled
Judge Stanton and ordered the ferrets killed and tested for rabies.  The 3
ferrets were killed today, results will be available 6/11, which we will
publish via the FML.  Over this past weekend, the owner appeared on TV and
appealed for the lives of his ferrets, he asked "when will the senseless
killing stop, when will the killing stop??.  With this case, which could
become a recent precedent, what we all need to fear, is that one of our own
could be next.  If anyone has any thoughts, ideas on how to pass protective
legislation for ferrets, please communicate via the FML.
[Posted in FML issue 1598]