BFF...
There are several Black-Footed Ferrets that can be "adopted" at
http://prairiewildlife.org/ including Peanut. More than one person can
"adopt" Peanut and share the love and help the BFF program. If you saw
him growing up, what a treat that would be to "adopt" him! Although he
is the handsomest BFF (my personal opinion), there are other ferrets
to "adopt" including one that is living free in the wild. I won the
adoption package on a raffle but plan on another adoption because of
the great feeling (natural high so to speak) that a person gets helping
an endangered species!

The Giving Tree...
I personally know a shelter mom and dad that also breeds BUT the two
things are completely separate. The breeding of ferrets is on a very
small scale and the few babies are already spoken for before they are
born. I too wondered at first why a shelter mom and dad would breed,
because they see so many abandoned ferrets, but I think it is BECAUSE
of the few babies that they have each year that they can continue with
their rescue efforts. Their very few and very special ferret babies are
healthy, very loved and very wanted. I feel that the pleasure of having
these babies renews their spirit and enables them to continue their
rescue efforts. This family at times averages ONE FERRET A DAY being
brought into the shelter. Most of them are sick, abused, neglected, old
and come from "ferret mills" big and small. They get in ferrets from a
backyard breeder several times a year. They are extremely sad cases.
After caring for hundreds of unwanted ferrets, seeing a very special
newborn baby ferret must give them hope, lift their spirits and help
them continue with their rescue efforts with a healing of their broken
hearts.

Mines....
I have traveled to Cambodia several times and seen the result of
thousands of still hidden and active mines.....farmers with both hands
missing, children with missing legs, women clutching babies with only
one arm, both young and old men missing one or both legs. I could not
go to some places because of the danger of mines. Most of the mines
are from the Viet Nam War but some are newly placed because people are
still fighting over there. I was there in 1999 during the coup and went
to sleep each night listening to machine gun fire in the streets. Do I
think ferrets could help find mines that need to be disabled? I don't
know. What I do believe though is that Ed is NOT the one to find out.
Please Ed, do not get any more ferrets. Please help out at a shelter,
sponser a fostered ferret, "adopt" a BFF, donate to a rescue but please
do not try to teach ferrets to find mines.

Nancy, stepping down from the podium to go clean ferret poop

[Posted in FML 6468]