Re: NJ Ferrets
 
It is a strange world.  The very first ferret I ever met ferret was an
albino girl who was later named Sam.  She had been at Cornell and a
friend-of-a-friend's sister had gotten her for my friend since Sam was no
longer needed there.  The friend-of-a-friend brought the ferret to my friend
in a cage.  Here's an animal surrounded by strange people in a strange place
and what do I do?  I stuck my finger in the cage to pet her.  *chomp!* She
drew blood.  Did I immediately go spastic thinking that I was going to catch
rabies, the bubonic plague, or any other life threatening disease?  No.  I
thought how stupid I was.  I grew up around all manner of animals and I knew
that given that situation, your chances of getting bit are real good.
 
I'm not saying somebody shouldn't be concerned when bit by an animal or take
what measures they think are necessary, but it almost seems like people have
been whipped up into an almost irrational fear that every animal carries
rabies.  Wild animals are complete unknowns so a bite from them does have to
be considered as possibly carrying rabies, but pets that have been
vaccinated?  Especially those that don't go outside?
 
And if for some reason I am worried about being exposed to rabies, I sure as
h*ll am not going to wait for test results to get back 2 weeks or a month
later.  I'm going to get the series of shots.  At that point isn't it a moot
point to have the animal tested?
 
A couple of years back a raccoon (who did turn out to be infected with
rabies) got into someone's house through a basement window.  Everybody was
alright, but the media (all three news stations in town) all covered the
story.  It was the top story, if I remember correctly.  A co-worker's 6 year
old daughter was so effected by the news reports that she couldn't sleep for
weeks.  She was terrified that a rabid raccoon would get into their house.
Without a doubt, that 6 year old girl wasn't the only child or adult who
became incredibly afraid of rabid animals.  Was that level of fear really
necessary?
 
We have to be smart about rabies.  We have to avoiding getting by bit by
wild animals.  (Sometimes this can be hard, but you shouldn't try to set
yourself up for a bite.) We have to have our pets vaccinated.  We have to
try to get quarantine periods setup for ferrets.  We have to support
shedding studies for ferrets.  And probably most of all, we have to try to
spread common sense and information rather then fear about rabies.
 
Why did I say the world is strange?  Well, my first ferret encounter ended
in a bite, but it didn't sour me on the animal.  In fact, I would go to jail
or deal with a lawsuit before I would give my kids up for rabies "testing".
You can have 4-legged family members just as well as the 2-legged variety.
I don't care if they have 2 or 4 legs, I'll fight for them just the same.  A
bite "incident" in a rabies panic'd area is something I hope I never have to
experience
 
-kim, squirt, pippi, atlas, and 'jinx
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]    |<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 1600]