I don't know whether you'll allow this, BIG..  but it infuriated me when I
read it.  Ferrets really get a bum rap about biting incidents.  This is a
summary of an article I read in today's Newsday, the paper on Long Island.
 
Nearly 4.5 million dog bites accur annually in the US.  334,000 end up in
the emergency rooms.  Dog bites KILL about 20 people a year, and they bite
more males than females, children being the most frequent targets.  The
highest incidences where among boys, aged 5 to 9.  These kids visited the
emergency room 57,580 times during a 3 year period.  Dog bites send more
people to the emergency room than injuries from baby walkers, in-lines
skaters and skateboarders COMBINED.  This information was compiled by
researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Control at the
University of Pittsburgh.  The data analyzed was taken from emergency rooms
nationwide.
 
I know there are more dogs in the US than ferrets, but it seems to me that
even if the population of dogs to ferrets were equal, would 20 people die
each year due to a ferret bites?  Sheesh.
 
-Celia
(Jake, Kes, Dax and Odo)
[Posted in FML issue 2180]