>Fish and Game CANNOT legally take your ferrets.
 
California can take your ferret if you try to cross the California border
with it.  It does not matter if you are just visiting.  A student from
Arizona spend four days in jail because he could not pay the fine.
 
The Fish Fuzz took my ferrets into custody for a month while the
contemplated putting them to sleep because I would not cooperate with them
after they raided my house for two and a half hours (Yes, they did have a
search warrant.) Don't even think that you have the choice to remove your
ferrets from California borders.  My attorney had to go to court just to
convince the judge to let me send them to my dad in Texas.  Once the judge
agreed to let me send them to Texas (under much protest from Fish & Game) I
had to deliver the plane tickets to the Dept.  of Fish and Game and they
would not even let me see my ferrets before they shipped them off.  While my
ferrets where in custody my attorney asked for visitation rights and the
Fish Fuzz coldly denied it.
 
As to the "freed from the issue part", I had to pay a $1,350.00 fine for
having ferrets and I am on probation for two years at which time the Fish
Fuzz can come into our house without a search warrant any time they please.
 
I don't know what state you live in David and where you get your information
from but this just happened last December and my trial was in February 1996.
I think I am pretty up to date on this.  A friend of ours was seen by a game
warden at the vets holding her ferret.  Fish & Game got a search warrant,
never found the ferret and she still got fined $250.00 on the word of the
game warden.  This happened in Fresno Co.  just in case anybody is
interested and the game warden's name is Cindy Adkins on both counts.  Word
of advice, stay away from her.
 
Hope this cleared California laws up a little.
 
Ilona Maggard, Ferretless in California
[Posted in FML issue 1688]