>From:    Anonymous Poster <[log in to unmask]>
>Hi everyone....I am a brand new (I.E. "MAJOR CRIMINAL"!) ferret owner in Ca,
>... I am a California D.J., and I am very open on, and off the air, that I
>am a ferret owner, (Our station web page mentions my babies in great
>detail.) Now, y'all have got me SO worried....should I shut up publically
>about how totally cool my ferrets are?  Can they really get a search
>warrant, come in my house, and just TAKE THEM????
 
Flat-out, yes they *can* get a search warrant and come take them.  Many
local cops won't; in my personal experience even some local animal control
officers will cut you some slack even though "animal crimes" are their job.
 
Fish&Game Wardens will *NOT* ever ease up.  Some are clearly insane on the
subject; there was a two-day stakeout somewhere in SoCal in a case where a
neighbor "ratted" out of spite but would'nt sign the official complaint that
would lead to a search order...hence the stakeout.
 
Owning a ferret in California is a clear statement that the DFG and the F&G
Commission are jointly full of..."excrement".  If a Warden sees that web
site, or hears about your skinnykitty on the radio, you'll have a problem.
 
One odd point: BIG, correct me on this if I'm wrong, but has F&G or any
other "fuzz police" ever busted someone or their fert via statements on the
FML?  I'd gotten the impression that it hasn't happened...didn't you once
say that some F&G lurkers had actually had their heads rearranged by the
posts here?
 
[Moderator's note: Yes, though of course, who can tell for sure who's really
behind an email address?  But there are/have been people on the list claiming
to be CA F&G folks looking to learn more about ferrets.  One even claimed to
own a ferret himself.
 
I have no problem with this by the way - the FML is here to educate.  And
what an education they must be getting....!  Much harder for me to remember
who does what now that the mailing is so large, so I often loose track of
who quits and who stays on.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1725]