A while back I had posted about needing to find a ferret-friendly
environment in Indiana to help with some boarding needs when I travel to the
southern half of Indiana.  I recently found out (as did the vet who sent me
the e-mail) that ferrets are illegal in Bloomington, Indiana.  So add that
to your lists of FFZs out there.
 
Personally, I wasn't all that surprised.  Bloomington is an oddball town
(here come the flames!).  As a Boilermaker Alumnus I wasn't surprised.
Apparently the rest of the state (which obviously has been influenced by
Purdue University, home of one of the best vet schools in the country) has
some more sense.
 
While I'm posting, let me be the millionth person to say that I'd too like
to see the video of Bob vs. the Gestapo.  However, though this person
apparently started off the argument (my assumption based on the integrity
and open-mindedness I sense in Bob's postings), lets also all keep in mind
that many state regulators are often as frustrated with their agency's
policy's as are the public.  This is based on my experience; I do
environmental consulting and often find that the technical folks who have
been working at state agencies (and EPA) often want to follow a "common
sense" approach to problems, but have their hands tied by a combination of
poorly written regulations, agency policies, and priorities that are set by
branch and section chiefs based on who is leaning hardest on the governor's
office.  I would bet it is the same in F&G and in most other large,
bureaucratic agencies, including those that regulate domestic and wild
animals.  Sure, there are a few zealots out there that don't know the
difference between reality and their sense of utopia.  However, when dealing
with a person from any agency that comes down on ferrets, it first pays to
find out that person's own personal slant on things.  You might find out you
have an ally inside the agency.  If you stereotype them and tick them off,
you may find yourself paying for it in the long run.
 
So the short of it is "Go Bob", but let's all think before we act or speak.
 
I look forward to meeting so many of you at the 10th anniversary
get-together.  My kids have been dying to go to Disneyworld, and so this
sounds like a good time to go!  (And when my SO finds out that there just
"happens" to be a FML get-together going on in Orlando at the same time, I
may find myself living there permanently.)
[Posted in FML issue 1876]