>From:    William Killian <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: zen's tossing some grey on the Marshall shipping topic
 
>>From:    Caroline Jones aka CJ <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: How Marshall Farms ships their babies, first hand view
>>MF needs to make their journey more humane.
>
>But for what it's worth, we recommend not putting water bottle in cages
>for ferrets on the shorter flights.  Perhaps even as long as NY to NV.
>
>>You end up with a choice between hungry and thirsty ferrets or wet, cold,
>dirty, miserable, hungry and thirsty ferrets.  We've tried both ways and
>in our case we offer food and water to the ferrets as quickly as we can
>get the ferrets out of "cargo" usually Delta Dash.
 
You also have the choice of not shipping your animals or, for those of
us who aren't breeders, only adopting ferrets from shelters in your
state/county or breeders that don't ship.  Sure it's a major ping on some
breeders' profits, but hey, the ferrets are much happier and isn't that
what the important thing is for all us ferret lovers out there?
 
Some breeders refuse to ship their animals, which I think is the only
humane way to do things, and I can't applaud those souls enough who put
the welfare of their ferrets before their bottom line.  Subjecting a baby
animal (or any animal for that matter) to the unheated, unpressurized cargo
area of an airplane is terribly inhumane.  Compound that with no food and
water, and the only real consensus is that shipping is just plain cruel.
 
The breeders that I know of who don't ship will often meet prospective
ferret mommies and daddies halfway at a ferret show or other organization.
This is a wonderful way for people to get to know the breeders,
face-to-face, and for breeders to screen people to make sure the animals
they raise and love are going to good homes.  Plus I've found that most
ferret people are willing to go on a road trip to get their new babies if
it insures that their new family member won't be subjected to the horrible
experience of being sent to their new home via cargo.
 
So the way I see it, shipping ferrets is hardly a necessity and the only
real argument for doing it at all is a purely financially one.  And I,
for one, am not at all sympathetic to the argument that profits are more
important than ferret welfare.
 
As a further addendum to the anti-shipping argument, here's another plus
for making a road trip to pick up your new fuzzy: When we drove home with
Templar, it was a wonderful bonding experience.  Our little kit (he's now a
strapping five-year-old) cuddled in my arms for the whole five-hour drive,
wiggling only to use the pan and get a snack and drink of water.  (I wasn't
driving, btw.)  It was a wonderful experience.
 
Eugie
http://members.aol.com/mustalayday
[Posted in FML issue 3331]