Dear Friends,
 
Please do not take this as a flame.  The Kodo case has brought many people
face to face with the rabies situation and it is interesting to note a
typical pattern that occurs.  I have been working on a fair risk assessment
in Michigan for a long time and have been "trained" by some of the best
(Dick Bossart, Micki Wingate, Troy Lynn Ekhart, Randy Sellers, etc.).  After
having been around this block a number of times, I have come to a couple of
personal conclusions (these conclusions are my own and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the aforementioned experts):
 
1.  I would hope that NOT 1 MORE FERRET LIFE BE LOST IN THE NAME OF RABIES!
Early in my "education" I too put in a few requests through the FML to
support the continuation of rabies shedding studies.  This is nothing more
than job security for those researchers at the expense of more ferret lives.
If you think about it, there have never been any shedding studies done on
humans; yet there are many bite incidents involving children - we don't
quarantine them (well, we haven't established the proper shedding
period...).  They change the "rules" all the time.  How many shedding
studies have been done on : horses, cows, goats, llamas, guinea pigs,
rabbits, gerbils, etc., etc., etc., -- NONE!  yet no KILL and TEST policy.
The rabies research community uses these red herrings to justify their
existence.  Let's talk bat strain.  Other than the cave observations
(ferrets have the ingested mice study), what studies exist for dogs -- NONE!
yet no KILL and TEST policy What studies have been done for CATS, horses,
pigs...etc, etc.  -- NONE!  And if you are talking bats, using the same
logic that the State of Michigan used in the Kodo case (the invisible RABID
bat that could fit in between cage bars, leave invisible bite marks, and
escape undetected - a true STEALTH BAT) shouldn't we start either doing
shedding studies on humans or, at the least, inoculating all humans?  The
whole situation is ludicrous.  Shedding studies involve injecting ferrets,
the more the better, with rabies so that they hopefully contract the disease
and die.  PLEASE STOP SUPPORTING THE NEEDLESS KILLING OF FERRETS!  We have
all the information necessary.  Legislation for a proper risk assessment is
the tough battle that we all must fight.  After bats, they will come up with
another, and another.  If you did a proper risk assessment, you wouldn't
even need a quarantine for the VAST majority of bite cases; ONLY THE
SUSPICIOUS ONES (i.e. the ferret might have been exposed because he was lost
outside for a few days, kept outdoors, came in contact with a potentially
rabid animal, etc.) The policy makers would like us to believe that a wealth
of information is needed before the matter can be resolved.  What is need is
a common sense approach to a risk assessment ( didn't someone say that
'common sense' is neither common nor often makes sense?!) There is no wealth
of information for dogs (has there ever been a study done for a pit bull or
a doberman, or a poodle?), cats, horses, etc.  but they are popular pets.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE KODO CAUSE AND WORK FOR LEGISLATION IN YOUR STATE (risk
assessment)!!!!!  Don't stop with letters to Michigan, don't wait for a bite
case in your state, look for sympathetic (if you can't find them - elect
them!) legislators and work unceasingly on them.
 
(oops - I got carried away)
2.  I was in court and witnessed officer Burns and Dr. Stobierski both
perjure themselves a number of times.  If you have conversations with these
people, please get BOTH sides before you draw conclusions.  They are
desperately trying to cover their backsides and desperate people use
desperate methods.  Stobierski and the Michigan Department of Community
Health ARE MASTERS in the "art" of rhetoric and falsehood.
 
I would hate for every state to have to go through what we in Michigan are.
The legislative approach is very time consuming and requires MUCH effort but
is the most economical and effective means to ensure safety for our loved
ones.  Why don't some of you run for office, convince a friend to run, etc.,
conduct rallies, write letters, involve the media.  Someday ferrets will be
free.
 
PLEASE SUPPORT KODO!
 
Dave Les
GLFA - rabies committee
 
Again, this was not meant to be any sort of flame.  It is my dream that all
ferrets be treated humanely.  I got sidetracked by these same issues and am
only trying to save some of you valuable time.  The bill proposed by Sen.
Dingell says it all.
[Posted in FML issue 1961]