In issue 250, Katie Fritz forwarded the following story from CompuServe:
 
> From:  Karen Rosenthal, DVM, MS 70632,3562
> Date: 04/16/92 20:56:13
>
> Here is some more distressing news to ferret owners:
>
> In the animal hospital I work in recently an employee was bitten by
> another employee's ferret.  Although the bite wasn't severe, the person
> went to a human hospital to have it looked at and get some
> antibiotics.  No different than if a dog or cat had bitten a person and
> broken the skin.  The human hospital took care of the person's minor
> bite and then was legally required to contact the authorities who are
> now in the process of finding the ferret and when they find the ferret
> they will kill it and send its brain to be checked for rabies!!!
> Because of the rabies scare any ferret now that bites someone is to be
> killed and checked for rabies whether or not it has been vaccinated for
> rabies and whether or not it has been in contact with a rabid animal.
> This is an incredible overreaction and I don't think ferret owners
> understand the gravity of the situation yet.
>
> Karen
 
The lawyer whom I mentioned in another posting above, is also defending
the ferret owner in question.  In fact, it is this incident which has
helped to open an opportunity to challenge the ferret ban in NYC.  The
lawyer's stance is clear: He is telling the city "You are NOT getting
the ferret, so how else would you like to work it out?".  I will let
you know more as I hear it.
 
Below I am entering the entire text of an article about this which appeared
in the New York Post, 21 April 1992, page 3.  (The New York Post is one of
several New York City dailies.)
 
                     ------ Begin reproduced article ------
(Note: photo of ferret and owner appears with caption "FAST FRIENDS: Jose
Ramos of Brooklyn vows a fight to the finish over pet ferret Boo-Boo."
A subtitle reads: "Health Dept. puts pet ferret on its most wanted list.")
 
Boo-Boo's big boo-boo lands him on death row
by John Harney
 
  Boo-Boo the ferret has a date with death.
 
  And if the owner fails to keep it, he'll face hundreds of dollars in fines.
 
  But that doesn't scare Jose Ramos, an unemployed construction worker from
Brooklyn who owns Boo-Boo.
 
  "I'm not going to give him up," vows Ramos, who got his beloved Boo-Boo as
a gift in January.
 
  Boo-Boo recently bit the finger of a worker at the Animal Medical Center and
was reported to the City's Health Department.
 
  On Saturday, Ed Boyce of the Health Department appeared at Ramos' Crown
Heights home to tell him he must hand Boo-Boo over to the ASPCA by today --
or face hefty fines.
 
  The reason?  First, it's illegal to keep ferrets in New York City -- though
they remain popular pets.
 
  And second, Boo-Boo must be tested for rabies -- and the only way to do that
is to kill him and examine his brain.
 
  "He's harmless," insisted Ramos, 19.
 
  Ramos said he himself has been bitten by Boo-Boo -- and "If he had rabies,
I'd be dead now."
 
  Not necessarily, according to Boyle.
 
  Although the law requires a dog or cat that bites someone to be observed
for 10 days for signs of rabies, nobody knows how long it takes to develop
rabies from a wild animal such as a ferret -- which means Ramos himself
could be in danger of developing the disease, Boyce said.
 
  Last week, The Post reported that Westchester County officials killed a
rare Arctic fox to test it for rabies.  The fox tested negative.
 
                     ------  End reproduced article  ------
 
Bill
 
[Posted in FML issue 0251]