Hi Kat:
 
You wrote to the FML about discovering that Connecticut is a kill-and-test
State for ferrets, and that the CT Department of Agriculture classifies them
as wild animals.  You also asked:
 
>(2) To change kill and test for ferrets, the CT Dept. of Agriculture must
>classify them as domestic and not wild animals.  Sound familiar,
>Californians?  Would someone from my neighboring state of MA let me know how
>ferrets were legalized there recently: are they still wild animals in MA?
>If not, please explain how crossing the border makes them go wild.
 
Mustela furo was never considered a wild animal in Massachusetts.  Ferrets
were and are regulated by the MA Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) because
of their historic use as a hunting animal.  When the practice of ferreting
(rabbit hunting with ferrets) was banned after the Civil War and again in
the 1930s, possession of ferrets was made illegal.  They remained illegal
even as they became popular as pets because of the lack of an effective
rabies vaccine, old prejudices regarding their temperament, and turf wars
among state and humane agencies and the pet industry.
 
Ferrets became legal to own as pets in MA in March 1996 primarily because of
the efforts of a very determined group of ferret owners to push the bill
through the legislature and up on the governor's desk.  Some had been
working as long as 12 years on legalization.  In all that time, the owner's
group (now MaFF) kept the channels of communication open with the state
agencies.  We kept our relations cordial.
 
Still, historic recognition as a domestic animal and the introduction (in
1990) of a USDA-approved rabies vaccine did not confer protection from
kill-and-test.  The MA DFW did perform some sort of risk assessment (based
on the 1996 and 1997 Compendium) with bite incidents, most of which had been
reported at pet stores.  Each case was a battle with the MA Department of
Public Health (MDPH), which always requested kill-and-test.
 
In January of this year, the MDPH circulated a memo to MA vets, animal
control officers, and others that, based on completed and pending rabies
shedding studies in Mustela furo, a 10-day quarantine was warranted for
ferrets involved in bite incidents.  This applies to vaccinated and
unvaccinated ferrets.  Cats and dogs are also subject to a 10-day
quarantine.
 
It might be a useful exercise to ask your Dept of Ag on what basis CT
classifies Mustela furo as a wild animal.
 
Above all, continue to keep your relations with your state agencies
friendly, if wary.
 
Please let me know if you need more information on the Massachusetts policy.
 
-- Lee, one of the Massachusetts Ferret Friends
 
-- Lee
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[Posted in FML issue 1958]