>I borrowed a book this weekend called "The Complete Guide to Ferrets" by
>James McKay, apparently a British author.  I'm not too far into the book
>yet, but something just twelve pages in really struck me as odd, and I
>wondered if anyone had the facts to back this up.
 
I've got this book too....and others that indeed say there are feral ferrets
in New Zealand .........and even in some parts of the UK.  I wouldn't be too
amazed at a small colony existing for a time somewhere, maybe they'd be OK
till the first really hard winter, maybe they'd make it through.........
feral cats can, why not ferrets?
 
>The rest of the book is supposed to convey how wonderful ferrets are, as
>pets, and even scolds those in Britian who breed and sell many ferret kits
>just for rabbit hunting, and ferret racing... if you don't have enough wild
>birds and other small animals to feed your ferret, "don't dispair" road
>casualties are perfectly acceptable.
>Needless to say, it's a very interesting book, but I'm not going to be
>taking Gargy out to feast on a cat carcass on the side of the road,...
 
I've fed mine on very recent road kills too...........you just have to be
in the right place at the right time!  :-) Some people in the Fens and down
Lincolnshire-way are tripping over pheasant and rabbit carcasses...... some
PEOPLE even eat them!  I like to catch my own if I'm eating it though :-))
 
Have you read any of Brian Plummer's books about ferrets and hunting?  I
recommend him too, and Jackie Drakeford.............
 
K.
[Posted in FML issue 2391]