The attached letter was sent on Saturday to Governor Engler.  We were
especially impressed to read of the disussion with Ms. Burns in Friday's
FML.  That added a new twist to our message - that Michigan animal control
officers and the court were following a flawed policy that would definitely
be changed soon, but not soon enough to save Kodo, which was thus his
responsibility.
 
>The Honorable Governor, John Engler
>
>In the light of known information, the likelihood of Kodo the ferret having
>contracted rabies from a bat is effectively nil.  Moreover, the likelihood
>that, if so infected, he would still be alive and healthy is also nil.  We
>refer you to Senator Dingell=92s resolution for an excellent summation.
>
>If equally applied to all household pets, the present policy in Michigan
>would mean automatic seizure and killing of any dog or cat whose tooth broke
>the skin of any human being, whether or not that animal had been properly
>vaccinated for rabies.  Since that is not being done, the seizure and
>euthanasia of Kodo and the hundreds of Michigan ferrets before him, is an
>arbitrary and discriminatory policy.
>
>Interspecies rabies transmittal to domestic pets is almost unheard of.  On
>the rare occasion, it has been from interaction outside the home.  Dogs and
>cats are far more likely to outside of the home than ferrets.  Ferret owners
>don't put them out for the night like cats or walk them twice a day like
>dogs.  Moreover ferrets are unable to subsist on their own outside of a
>home.  There are feral dogs and cats roaming city streets, but no feral
>ferrets.  Therefore dogs and cats are far more likely to contract rabies
>from a rabid bat than any ferret, and there have been no such reports in
>Michigan.
>
>It is not up to the individual animal control officer, or even the court, to
>go against the established ferret seizure and kill policy.  It is the policy
>that must be changed, and you know, from all the pressure being brought to
>bear on this case, that it will be.  Only a higher authority can intervene
>until that policy is changed and that is your responsibility.  It is the
>right thing to do.  It will be also be the popular thing to do.  It will
>also be a relief to the animal control officer that did her duty in spite of
>her feelings.
>
>Respectfully,
>
> Mary and Joel Cohen
>
> Cc: Bay City Times
>       Senator Dingell
[Posted in FML issue 1960]