Okay, it's like this.
 
Many, if not most PETA members have cats or dogs.  So they have this part
on thier page saying 'Yes, we know these are animals that no longer live in
the wild, and should be with us humans' If most PETA people owned, say...
ferrets, I suspect they'd quickly own up too!
 
Frankly, here's a list of 'wilder' domestic pets (by time domesticated) :
 
Rabbits, any type (1000 years or so)
Golden Hamsters (100 years or so)
Cavies <Guina Pigs> (1000-2000 years)
Gerbils (80 years)
Budgies (150-200 years)
Canaries (150-200 years)
Mice and rats (120 years)
 
These are just animals I know most people would go 'oh, pets, of course'
ALMOST ANY ANIMAL IN A PET STORE IS VERY POST-FERRET
 
**NOTE** Ferret people are fond of saying ferrets were domesticated before
cats.  THIS IS both possible, and probable, but not proven.  Ferrets were
mearly more commonly in use in many places which had writting before cats
were (ie Greece, Arabia)
 
Of course, many anti ferret domestic people will say 'but they're so much
like polecats in looks!' Well, if it ain't fixed, don't break it.  Huskeys,
Dingos, Indian dogs and many other types of dogs closely resemble thier
local wild relative, but it's easy to see they're much more amicable to
humans.  And though some people 'quibble' over the little differences in
physiology and psycology in the ferret, isn't that what science is supposed
to do?
 
Gads, this is my longest post ever, but hang in there..
 
Finnally, the version of ferrets noted in writting ancient and recient is
the albino, and anyone can tell you it's not easy getting all albino
animals from something right out of the wild, which makes it preety clear
that ever 2000 years ago, ferrets hadbeen tampered with seriously by man.
 
My 1.20$ cents
 
Mel
[Posted in FML issue 2478]