Q: "You never actually posted your opinion about ferret skins being sold
    on eBay, did you?"
 
A: What was the question?
 
Nope, I didn't. You win the prize.
 
Q: "How dare you insinuate I am a hypocrite for wearing leather?  ...This
    is about ferrets!"
 
A: I didn't insinuate anything.  I outright stated it.
 
Look, I could care less if you wear leather or not.  I do, but I also make
sure that it is Indian leather.  That way I know that leather was stripped
off cows that died naturally or from accidents.  (BTW, my leather jacket
has a nipple on it, so I know if came from a male cow.  No bull.)  There is
a hypocrisy that deeply offends me when it comes to animal exploitation.
You can't wear mink, but everyone in Hollywood wears leather.  You can't
eat meat, but plant based agriculture is just as murderous on wildlife.
You can't shoot a non-native burro, but you can let them drive the desert
bighorn to near extinction.  I once actually overheard two overdressed
wastes of human skin complain about Japanese and Swedish over exploitation
of the world's fisheries IN A SUSHI BAR!!  I wanted to shove some of that
"cherry bomb" horseradish right up their nostrils to jump-start their
brain.
 
The point is, if it is not right to sell a ferret skin, then it is wrong to
sell ANY skin regardless of what is currently in fashion in Hollywood or
not.  After all; leather IS a pelt with the fur scraped off.  And if you
want to boycott eBay for the ferret skin, what about camel hair
paintbrushes?  Lots of them are made with fitch (polecat or ferret) fur.  A
lot of fitch fur was used as trim on coats and gloves.  What about them?
There is simply no actualistic moral or ethical difference between selling
ferret fur on eBay as a pelt or in a department store as paintbrushes or
fashionable jackets.  And if that is true, then there is no actualistic
difference between selling the pelt of a cow or deer and one of a ferret.
Explain how it is different.
 
And what about other ferret body parts, like skulls?  I know a situation
where a person BOUGHT a ferret skull so they could show people the teeth
when teaching about biting problems.  Did they commit a sin, or is it a
"lesser evil" sort of thing?  They bought it off eBay.  If their intent
was to promote the health and welfare of ferrets, was it wrong to buy a
ferret skull?  Tough questions.  Now, who can answer them fairly?
 
Q: "Do you actuallly own ferret bones?  That's creepy..."
 
A: That's what the "C" stands for; Bob Creepy.  Make a note of it.
 
I have never denied my study of ferret bones, nor of my curatorship of
thousands of them (I say curatorship because I don't have a belief that I
actually own them; they will be donated to a national museum when my study
is finished so they will be protected and help future researchers).  Did
you know the feral ferret in new Zealand had a massive population crash
back when they were first released?  Most of the releases died.  I *KNOW*
it because I can see the undeniable evidence in the remains.  That tidbit
of info can be pretty important for New Zealanders and Californians when
they work for legalization.  Right now, the info has not been published
because I am a slow and careful scientist and want to get it right the
first time.  And I will tell you the truth; more ferrets will die (not at
my hand nor my wish) before I will be able to prove it without doubt.
Should I stop my research?
 
The greatest gift--other than life--that one person can give another is
knowledge.  Through the donation of your body (or your ferret's body) to
science, you give other people the skill and knowledge which could save
countless lives; human and ferret.  The scientific study of animal parts,
like skins and bones, can be a powerful tool for ferret advocacy if done
and used properly.  If striving towards these goals makes me creepy, then
I am proud of it.
 
Bob C and 16 Mo' Wordy Weasels
[Posted in FML issue 3017]