Oblenia said:
> This kind of press coverage on ferrets, to me, is not helping to make the
> general public aware accurately of ferrets.  It portrays them as wild
> ferrets, referring to them as "Ferrets, widely used for hunting rabbits"
 
Um, s'cuse me for butting in here, but it sure doesn't portray them as wild
animals, it is showing how domesticated they are inasmuch as we humans can
train them to be used for different tasks - like dogs!Of course it says
they're widely used for hunting rabbits, they are in the UK.  I've been
out rabbiting with mine this morning and ended up with several small boys
"helping out".
 
>and "Using tiny nylon harnesses, the cables are rigged up to the ferrets
>which are then encouraged down the tunnel entrance, sometimes by putting
>a bit of meat at the other end."  I feel this kind of info does not show
>them to be domestic pets, but rather wild or work animals.
 
They are *work animals* over here though.......as well as being pets.  You
try putting a ferret next to a dark hole in the ground and see whether it
1) rushes into it to explore or 2) runs up your leg screaming for
protection.  I'll put money on No. 1:-)
 
>It is cool that they can be helpful in pulling cable, but that sounds like
>it could open up a whole can of worms on ethical treatment of animals and
>health issues.
 
In what way?  Like could happen by using dogs as guide dogs or SAR dogs
maybe?  I think you're being a bit oversensitive about this:-)
 
>Also, the statement "Americans used them to lay cable inside oil pipelines
>and they are regularly used to install cables inside houses under
>floorboards."- has anyone else heard of this?  I may be ignorant in this
>area, but it sounds odd to me.  Does this happen overseas?  It must, since
>this info was in a paper for the United Kingdom.
 
Well, I've heard about them being used for cable laying before.  They used
to be used a lot for things like this on board ships too ..........as well
as killing rats.
 
>I'm not knocking the person who sent this original post, I just feel that
>the media portrays ferrets incorrectly and that hurts their reputation and
>ultimately legalization issues.
 
Well, I think it's good publicity as it makes the public aware of them as
useful animals, rather than the bl**dy tv clip we're shown over and over ad
infinitum of the ferret biting Richard Whiteley on the finger and refusing
to let go!  Maybe if they were used more for helpful tasks like this, the
CaF&G would think differently about them being "wild" animals?
 
>Every time I see a ferret on TV or in a commercial, they're shown in a
>small rodent cage, like a hamster.  Hope this didn't offend anyone- it's
>just my thoughts!
 
Not over here they're not.  They're generally loose in people's arms,
sometimes with a harness on.  I think we in the UK have a completely
different viewpoint on ferrets though, maybe as we've had them for longer
over here and are used to them as working pets????
 
K.
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2918]