>she said in a matter of fact, no room for debate tone, " You know those
>things will eat a baby's arm".  No less, she informed me that her brother
>knew someone who knew of a ferret eating a baby's arm.  "Swallowed it
>whole," she said.>
 
I know where this crap gets started.
 
Last night I was flipping thru the channels and was shocked to see a large
picture of a ferret (black-footed, no less) with the large red "no" circle
around it and "NYC" underneath.
 
It ended up being Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  He
started off talking sensibly about how stupid the ban was and the other
so-called "pets" that are on the list.  Then they showed some man holding
a beautiful little chocolate ferret on a leash and saying how silly it was
that such a sweet little animal could do the harm they're claiming.
 
Then unfortunately, Jon Stewart mentioned how he can understand when
ferrets have been known to eat babies' noses off!!  I practically threw my
laptop at the TV I was so angry.
 
He continued to make fun of ferrets and ferret owners for a bit, then the
segment was over and he moved on.
 
So this morning I hunted all over Comedy Central's webpage
(www.comedycentral.com).  I had a really difficult time finding an
e-mail address, so hopefully the one I used will go through.
 
This is the letter I sent:
 
[log in to unmask]
I just wanted to write to express my displeasure with the July 1st episode
of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
 
The segment I am referring to involved Mr. Stewart talking about New York
City's ridiculous ban on ferrets lumped in with numerous other exotic and
unlikely pets.
 
As a proud owner of five ferrets, I watched the segment with great
interest.  I found that Mr. Stewart's commentary on the other so-called
"pets" on the list (wild African creatures that most people have never
heard of) was quite funny.  That is, until he mentioned the "fact" that
ferrets have been known to bite babies noses right off.
 
Now it may be funny in some sense.  But to ferret owners who have been
battling the "wild, nasty, baby-attacking" stereotype for years, it is just
plain hurtful.  Making a statement like that just cements the belief into
viewers minds and gives NYC's Health Department more leverage.  Our fight
is difficult enough without television pranksters carelessly tossing around
incorrect information.  The NYC pet ban is a very serious problem for
thousands of ferret owners living in the city.
 
I feel that instead of adding to the problem, your show and your network
should be supporting the many NYC and other ferret owners who support your
programming.
 
Thank you for your time.
 
Aileen M. Nippins
Baltimore, MD
[Posted in FML issue 2729]