In yesterday's FML there was a post by Jim Young regarding feral ferrets.
There are several statements deserving response.
>Now we are faced with trying to prevent the sustained impact these mustelids
>have on our native wildlife, they have contributed to the extinction of
>several species and continue to push others to the brink. We are also
>discovering new problems, a possible link between Tb in ferrets and cattle.
Jim, I have a mustelid data base containing more than 8000 titles,
containing virtually *ANYTHING* published on polecats, black-footed ferrets,
and domestic ferrets. I have stuff from journals, reference books,
dictionaries, ancient texts, old Bibles, newspapers, and even novels. These
are in Russian, German, French, English, and many languages inbetween.
There is not a single reference, excluding the non-scientific anecdotal "I
swear I found one" crap propagated by the Ca Ca Fish and Gestapo that
supports yout statement. You might be correct; just cite the reference, and
make sure it has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal or
book. I have every book ever published on North American mammals, including
several specifically on California, and with one exception, not a single
concern about feral ferret populations in the US has been made. (The
exception is "Mammals of Arizona" where two sighting of what *might* have
been a ferret were made. None have been made since then, and when I asked
the author-at a national convention- about it, it was admitted they might
have been weasels or excaped pets. In any case, the book doesn't even come
close to saying that a feral population of ferrets exists, even though the
Ca Ca Fish and Gestapo suggests it) This last summer I have been in contact
with some of the top zoologists in California, ones that actually go into
the field and study animals rather than spending 11 months undercover to
trap 7 people in Southern California just to capture 36 ferrets. Not one of
them have *EVER* seen a feral ferret anywhere within the state, and none
would dare suggest the ferret has contibuted to any animal extinction in the
USA.
Now, exactly *WHAT* type of impact has the domestic ferret made on native
populations? Which animals did they make extinct? Are you even talking
about California? The only place on record that suggests the feral ferret
had *any* impact on the decline of a species is in New Zealand. But even
Caroline King has repeated statedly in print that you cannot assume
mustelids of any type were ultimately responsible for the extinction of any
species in New Zealand, and much of the blame must be assigned to rats,
dogs, cats, and foxes; all introduced before, during and after the ferret.
Of the mustelids introduced (the stoat, weasel, polecat, and ferret) the
ferret is the least capable predator. Not me saying it; I can cite hundreds
of papers from all over the world. If you or the F&G has a reference from a
peer-reviewed scientific journal, it isn't in Biological Abstracts, Current
Contents, Dissertation Abstracts, or any other contents journal I'm aware
of. Maybe it's in their X-files.
It should interest you to know that you can import ferrets into New Zealand,
and they are not illegal. But just try to get an American Mink into the
country, and you mess with fire. Why? Because the American Mink can
outcompete the other mustelids mentioned. Guess what abounds in California?
I would be safe to venture that if a ferret was found in the territory
caimed by a mink, it would become a tasty dinner, rather than an ecological
disaster.
As for the tb/cattle/ferret thing, so what? It makes no difference unless
you wish to outlaw cats and dogs as well. Ever visit a farm? The next
time, count the dogs and cats and ferrets, then post about the danger. It
doesn't exist except in theory and the lab. For God's sake, ferrets have
been living around cattle and people for thousands of years; why the sudden
worry in California? Maybe those cattle *have* tb or maybe they are rabid.
Every statistic you could possibly find supports the contention that humans
are in far more danger of getting either disease from cows than people.
Hell, statistically, cows have a greater chance getting the disease from
people than ever from a ferret.
>Despite all our problems we still have ferret farms, a continuing demand
>for ferrets as pets maintains them. Escapes do happen. I have heard of
>people releasing ferrets into 'the wild' as they can no longer care for
>them. Ferrets do not belong in our "wild".
You are right, because they die. I can cite 30 references that state the
ferret imprints on food smells in the first half-year of life, and will
starve to death if they don't recognize the smell of the nutritious food in
front of them. I would argue the larger ferret farms breed animals for the
laboratory and medical experiments. BTW, mink are also ranched, and have
only been domesticated for the last century or so (compared to 2500 yearss
for the ferret), yet last year when activists released thousands of mink
from their cages on a single farm, more than half died from drowning, autos,
and exposure. Many were never found and are presumed to have been eaten..
Cite a single paper to prove the ferret can out compete the mink, and I can
respond with scores in return. No way.
>Before people discuss legalizing ferrets for their entertainment they
>should consider that some may escape, and they may form a feral population
>(as cats did here). Learn from our mistakes!
Actually Jim, the ferret has been in the USA for at least 300 years, and
were bred in great numbers in several areas of the country, including Ohio
and, yes, southern California. And yes, after the bottom dropped out of the
ferret market in the 1920's, most of those populations were simply released
into the wild, where they quickely died out. Again, cite one actual feral
population using refereed journals if you can. 300 years of history makes a
strong statement about the ferret being able to form feral populations in
the USA, don't you think?
I'm sorry of anyone feels I've reponded strongly to Jim's post. I've made a
point to argue the statements, not slam the person. Obviously, Jim is
mistaken about his facts; he might have been lied to, or has only been
exposed to the propaganda issued by the power-mad mutants who *THINK* they
understand a sentence of biology from a third-grade text.
Jim, this is a public forum and everyone has a right to their own opinions.
Don't get upset if your opinions clash with scientific facts and someone
points that out. Live and learn.
Mo' Bob and the 18 Disbelievers (And Gus)
[Posted in FML issue 1752]
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