To Bruce Williams
 re: Bovine T.B. and Ferret Farms.
 
Thank you for the comments on the problems of Bovine T.B.  As far
as ferret (fitch) farms in New Zealand are concerned they are now
a thing of the past.  This was one of our many boom and bust
industries and when fur went out of fashion in the mid to late 1980's the
farms went out of business.   At the time there were unsubstantiated
rumours of some of the ferrets being released to fend for themselves
instead of being "disposed of".  Initially the farms were stocked
locally but some ferrets were imported from Scotland and Finland.
 
Someone asked a question about the identity of the New Zealand feral
ferrets.  The name of the critters is Mustela furo
 
If you have access to a substantial library you can look for:
*Handbook of New Zealand Mammals* edited by Carolyn M King, and
published by Oxford University Press in 1990 ISBN 0 19 558177 6.
 
If anyone wants a copy of the ferret chapter I can photocopy and snail
mail it.
 
Lawrence Roberts
[Posted in FML issue 1069]