>From:    Edward Lipinski <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Marshall Farms and the American Ferret Ass'n...coconspirators?
>
Saw that subject line and was immediately worried that yet another political
attack was forthcoming.  This is not in any way an official response from
the AFA.
 
>Likewise, the American Ferret Association, in their understandable, but
>notoriously flawed philosophy of required neutering and spaying, are
>essentially coconspirators in the devolution, the de-domestication of the
>ferret.
 
People keep telling us you are actually a nice old man.  But what the heck
are you talking about?  *WHAT* AFA philopshpy of required neutering and
spaying?
 
Are you perhaps meaning the LOS-NJ show where only altered ferrets could be
placed?  But that is flawed as badly.
 
The AFA usually gets flamed as being too much involved with the breeding of
ferrets by those jealous of its success.  This was quite an unusual twist.
 
But on to other parts of your post.
 
>That subject is the effect that neutering (and spaying) have on the
>on-going process of domestication of the ferret.
 
Okay.  We dispute your premise from the start.  The ferret is already
domestic.  Now as far as the ferret continuing to be modified through
selective breeding.  Yes, that is on-going.
 
>Most of us realise that domestication is an on-going process and that one
>tiny "drop" of domestication genoneme passes from the parent generation,
>F1, to the offspring generation, F2.
 
There is no domestication genoneme.  Domestication is the taking of a "wild"
animal and taking charge of its evolution.  An animal that was perhaps close
to the needs of man was kept in captivity and through selective breeding was
modified (evolved under man's guidance) to more and more closely match the
needs of man more closely.  With ferrets that was modifications common to
all domestic species - the juvenilization of the animal.  That is we kept
the "baby cute" ones.  It was also the keeping of the "nice" ones for
breeding to improve temperament of the next generation.  We kept the
"pretty" ones.  We didn't breed the ones we saw flaws in.
 
The selective neutering of some animals is part of the process of
domestication by definition.  Its the nicer version than culling from the
gene pool by death of those not chosen to continue breeding.
 
>Are we doing this with the ferret?  For the most part: No.
 
To which we heartily reply.  Actually we ARE doing this with the ferret.
 
>As long as exists Marshall Farms and their production of millions of
>butchered ferrets, then at their front door, domestication/evolution
>comes to a grinding halt.
 
Nope.  Marshall continues to breed those ferret that they think exhibit some
reason to choose them for breeding.  They were keeping the odd colors until
they were reproduced in numbers large enough to spare them for sale.
 
>It may very well be, that in the hands of responsible breeders, there and
>only there can any possibility of further domestication of the ferret occur.
>So, can we simplify this by concluding that purchasers of Marshall Farms
>ferrets are essentially traitors to the ferret, and continued purchases of
>these non-productive ferrets are without a doubt, bringing further
>domestication of the ferret to an abrupt halt?  Really?  Can we say this
>with some degree of truth?
 
Short answer no.
 
The choosing of which ferrets are to be bred and which are not is the crux
of modification of the ferret to suit the needs of "man".  Neutering animals
that have been determined as those not to contribute is one of the tools of
selective breeding.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2377]