Dear Senator Bolling:
 
I have sent two e-mail to you concerning SB-260 and how it relates to
home Ferret shelters, which is the only kind of shelter for Ferrets that
exist.  Again, the public and the State depend on and use these shelters
but the State does not fund them nor does the State support the ferret
shelter in any way other than use them They are fully supported by
donations and out of pocket resources.
 
I used the term Exotic in addressing this animal.  I would like to
explain how that term is an attribute of the home ferret.
 
The Black Footed Ferret of the far north west is a wild animal.  All
ferrets are related to badgers, mink, otters, skunks, and some other
species.  Yet the home variety of Ferret is totaly domesticated where it
has been dominated by man for more than 3000 years..  That is, unlike a
cat or dog that can survive in the wild without human support, the home
Ferret cannot.  The home Ferret you see in pet stores will die if turned
loose, will starve to death or in winter freeze to death.  They simply
do not have inate ability to survive in the wild.  Yet the State will
address a racoon, a badger, a snake of any species and most any other
animal that is a threat to man but they will not address the common house
Ferret.
 
We need legislation to protect these exotic pets where Man alone has made
them exotic for over 3000 years.  The shelters are all the support they
have outside a loving and knowledgeable owner.  I can fully understand
the issue we face on hording of cats and dogs, and that is a problem.
But to cause the legislation and law to be worded to include the house
Ferret is wrong.
 
Again, these shelters perform a great public service that the general
public depends on and also the State Animal Control.  Yet the State does
NOT fund nor support these shelters.  The proposed law will further
hinder an already very strained resource of public and State service.
The house Ferret is exotic where Man alone caused this condition to come
about.  We need to preserve this species and protect them where they do
make wonderful pets, but they are not a pet for just anyone and that is
why the shelters are so full of them.  We as a species have created a new
branch of another species, and the proposed law is actually cruel and
abusive to the home Ferret where it strips the only support for lack of
other control on man to own and care for them.
 
The exotic term means that the animal does not need control by way of
law, but that man does.  We can begin to fix this problem by not
including Home Ferret Shelters in SB-260 or any other such legislation
that will curtail such a well structured and non funded public and State
service resource.
 
Dogs and cats are licensed and must wear tags as evidence of shots where
they roam freely in open space where they are prone to contracting
disease.  The home Ferret is controlled and does NOT require this so that
expense on part of an owner or the State is not needed.  What is needed
is control on the sale and distribution of the home Ferret and also the
breeding of these animals.  Quite simply, the numbers need to be reduced
and the easily accessability to purchase these animals need to be trimmed
back so only responsible knowledgeable people take these animals as pets.
 
I ask you to make arrangements to speak with me on this matter where I
can offer a wealth of data to you and the legislation for consideration
of culturing adequate and proper wording to a law that will accomplish
what you need but will also not destroy what we already have in much
needed resources, to wit, the Ferret Shelter.
 
Thank you.
 
J. Gordon Bengtson
7302 Hunterbrook Drive
Mechanicsville, Va.  23111
804 730 4035
[Posted in FML issue 3997]