ONGOING FERRET
HYSTERIA AND LIES
by Hildy Langewis, CDFA Membership Director
 
   I would like to put to print some of the ongoing problems with ferret
hysteria in California, especially as spread by the California Department of
Fish & Game (DFG).
   First, they often use the generic 'ferret' to refer to all wild ferrets,
where the opposite is more often the case. The word 'ferret' most often
refers to the domestic ferret, unless one is referring to the only other
ferret in North America, the endangered Black-Footed Ferret. Since
Black-Footed Ferrets are not native to California, one would assume 'ferret'
means the domestic variety when in California.
   Second, Fish & Game expects domestic ferrets to survive in the wild. What
they base this hypothesis on is beyond us, since there is not one documented
case of a feral (wild) colony of ferrets anywhere in the world-even where man
tried to establish one on-purpose. Add to that the simple fact that the
Black-Footed Ferret has taken years of man's intervention to keep it from
becoming extinct (an animal that knows how to hunt, unlike the domestic
variety), and no reasonable person could come to Fish & Game's conclusion.
   Third, Fish & Game expects the nonexisting feral ferrets to compete for
food with other animals. How can an animal who only knows how to 'hunt' for
cat food and Linatone, and has no wild population, do anything to indigenous
species? We need not mention the damage wild dogs and cats (especially cats)
do to existing ecosystems.
   Lastly, why can domestic ferrets be bred for research legally in
California? Researchers use ferrets because of the very trait Fish & Games
says ferrets do not have-docility. Nobody wants a vicious, hard to control
animal for dozens of research trials. Who is right, DFG or scientists?
   The Department of Fish & Game shows no end to the strange logic they use.
They have gone so far as to order wildlife centers, petting zoos, and park
departments to surrender ferrets. This compounded by the dozens of other
unsubstantiated 'reasons' we get for why domestic ferrets should not be
legalized-such as rabies scares, child maulings, poultry threat, etc.-and you
can see why it has taken over twelve years of researching and data gathering
to get where we are today-into a strong enough position to introduce
legislation.
 
 
RE-PRINTED FROM "FERRET FOCUS," January 1995
 
(c) Copyright 1995 the California Domestic Ferret Association and Image
Design Studios. Persons wishing to re-print this article must contact the
Public Relations Director at (510) 538-6642.
 
For CDFA membership information, call (510) 886-4210.
[Posted in FML issue 1077]