First the confession.  Macs are almost fool-proof, but I'm a fool that can
out-smart the fool-proofness.  I recently obtained the newest release of
Norton disk doctor, and decided to test out my drive.  I was told there
was a small catalog tree error, and without thinking, I told it to fix it.
Oooooops.  Even though I installed the newest version, I--without
thinking--clicked on the alias for the old version, which saw my extended
8.5 disk as broken, and when it tried to fix it, well, it didn't.  Needless
to say, I'm really glad I keep most of the stuff on back-up zips, or I
would be *STILL* fixing up the thing.  Not that it was hard; I just
reinitialized, reinstalled the best personal desktop operating system in
the world, Mac OS 8.5 (don't worry PC freaks; Bill Gates will steal it and
sell it under Windows in 3-4 years), and was fine.  Well except for the
various files what were not backed up.
 
As it was, I lost the last few months of email (mostly stuff I was
attempting to answer), and *ALL* of my email addresses.  So, there are lots
of people I would like to write to but need the addresses; you know, like
the one or two friends I still have left after pointing out a few shelter
problems ;-).  I also reinstalled my ICQ and will have to be reauthorized
from all that were on my list.
 
Sorry. I was just stupid for a brief instant of time.
 
Q: "I was reading that ferrets are feral in Washington. Is this for real?"
 
A: Existentially or metaphysically?
 
In the zoological collection at the University of Washington, Seattle,
there are curated some skins and skeletons which have been identified as
domestic ferrets, and were collected from San Juan Island.  I studied these
remains and am convinced they are skins and skeletons from domestic
ferrets.  While there, I discussed a incident with a person who had watched
a domestic ferret climb over some rocks to steal fishbait some 10 years or
so ago.  Also, there are several journal records which discuss the release
of ferrets on various islands in the group.  Finally, there is a letter in
circulation amongst ferret owners that states ferrets were once feral in
the San Juans, but have since died out.  All support the *idea* that
ferrets were once feral on one or more of the islands.
 
Now, least the CaCa Poophead Fishing Gestapo think skeletons are
"evidence," let me say that neither the physical remains nor the
observations *PROVE* ferrets were ever feral because ferrets are kept as
pets on many of the islands.  Because of this, without clear and
substantial evidence that self-sustaining populations live, breed and
successfully raise their offspring on the islands, you cannot assume any
recovered carcass is indeed a feral ferret.  It could just as easily be a
lost or discarded pet, perhaps even on death's door from starvation.  All
the evidence only proves ferrets are on the island; it does not address HOW
they arrived there, nor the state of captivity prior to collection.
 
The bottom line is, all the evidence shows ferrets were once released to
prey on the established feral domestic rabbit populations, and they have
since died out as the rabbits became scarce.  There is no contemporary
evidence feral ferret populations exist on any of the San Juan Islands,
although evidence exists that the occasional lost or abandoned ferret might
be found from time to time.
 
Let me come back to the "proof" thing.  Science is much like law in that
causal relationships cannot be assumed; they have to be proven.  Unlike
law, which only requires the evidence removes reasonable doubt, in science
it generally has to be shown to be true 95 times out of a 100; well beyond
most definitions of reasonable.  But in one respect they are quite similar
in that the lines of evidence (or causal links) must be preserved.  In
science, breaking that link renders the evidence absolutely worthless.  And
that is why the skeletons in the lab have absolutely no value for proving
the ferrets were collected from feral populations; they were randomly
collected with ever having been linked to a feral population.  Since lots
of people live on the islands and some keep ferrets as pets, you now have a
second possibility that can explain *any* recovered ferret besides the one
of it being feral.  In other words, if you want to say the ferret was
feral, you must *PROVE* it was not a lost, strayed or discarded pet.
 
So here is the bottom line regarding the San Juan Island ferrets.  Some
years ago, a lighthouse keeper released domestic rabbits so he could
suppliment his dinners.  When the rabbits became a problem (undermining
building foundations was considered a problem), ferrets were released.
Supposedly, they helped control some of the rabbits, but were also blamed
for deaths of poultry and native birds (again, no causal link).  According
to the state of Washington, when the rabbits gradually died out, the
ferrets died out with them.  Now, while there are a couple of reports that
suggest ferrets established feral populations, and many suggestions that
they depressed populations of native birds, there is no actual link that
*proves* either event took place.  Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, but
no one scientifically studied it or reported on it.  What remarks that do
exist are vague and unsubstantiated; they are as far from "proof" as any
opinion can be.  Modern reports of ferrets could be nothing more than
sightings of lost pets.  The skins and skeletons in the museums could be
the skeletons of lost pets.  Any other assumption is scientific suicide.
 
Can anyone prove the collected remains of ferrets came from feral
populations?  Actually, I think I could prove it one way or another
(allowing the museum would allow it), but it would cost money.  I don't
see many people lining up to pay for basic research.  But if you have ten
thousand bucks and a desire to know, I accept cashier's checks.
 
Bob C and 20 Mo' Needletoothed Knuckle Nippers
[Posted in FML issue 2539]