Hi and happy new year everyone.
 
As it happens it seems that ferrets can be dangerous to the health
of cattle.  However the key point is that we are probably talking about
FERAL ferrets.
 
Here in New Zealand there has been recent concern that feral
ferrets may be carriers of bovine tuberculosis.  There is no hard
evidence that I am aware of but from the newspaper articles I have
read it appears that an as yet unknown number of feral cats and
feral ferrets are infected with B-T.B. and their presence in
pastures may pass the disease on to dairy cattle ( a very, very,
big industry here).  Maybe someone with veterinary qualifications can
explain the problems associated with B-T.B. in dairy cattle.
 
To put it into some perspective many possums in N.Z. (numbering in the
tens of millions) carry B-T.B. too.  With the number of feral ferrets
around three  orders of magnitude smaller it is a small problem on the
margin of a much bigger one.  Having said that, in the '60s research
showed that N.Z. had the highest population of feral ferrets in the
world - I can't find any numbers though - so if they do have B-T.B.
they could have an impact.
 
The provincial animal health committee is going to "carry out a series
of trials to study the density of ferret populations, the potential of
the ferret as a carrier of B-T.B. and its effectiveness in reducing
rabbit numbers."
 
 
Lawrence Roberts
[Posted in FML issue 1063]