I have to agree with Jaime that this is the situation for a good many
ferret owners in CA.  Yes, there have been people who have not been so
lucky, but in my opinion, most have been.
 
It's not like DF&G is hanging out at Pet Stores, looking for people buying
ferret supplies, and then jotting down your license number to track you
to your home.  Most of the times it's people getting turned in by a new
landlord, a vindictive ex, a mean neighbor, etc., or someone just being
completley ignorant about the laws in CA.  There have also been a few
cases of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the ferret ends
up seized.
 
Yes, it is a risky proposition having your ferret in CA.  You do live with
that little cloud of fear hanging over your head that sometimes makes you
think "Will today be the day that I'm found out?" But if you keep your head
down and use common sense, the chances of getting caught with your illegal
one(s) is a slim one.
 
As to why ferrets are illegal in CA: there is no scientific reason for it.
In 1933, ferrets were mistakenly put on the prohibited wildlife list when
DF&G was formed.  Other states made this mistake, and over time, have
rectified it by removing the Domestic Ferret from the Wildlife list.  Why
not CA?  It pretty much boils down to the fact that they dont want to admit
they are wrong and they get a lot of money by being wrong.  Sierra Club,
Audubon and other organizations, for whatever reason, keep pumping money to
CA DF&G for keeping ferrets illegal.  Nevermind the fact that they never
spoke up in other states where ferrets were illegal (Massachusettes comes
to mind).
 
To keep ferrets illegal, DF&G has come up with a number of reasons over the
years.  No rabies vaccine (a lie which was answered by a lawsuit by the
makers of Imrab), no distemper vaccine (has since been taken off their list
of excuses), violent towards children (backed by CA Health Services, wonder
where NYC got their ideas), and of course the "fact" that ferrets can go
feral.  And if DF&G can't find a real source to back up these fact?  They
make one up of course.  Easy to do when you are getting all sorts of money
to keep ferrets illegal.  So why doesn't anyone see through these tactics?
Well, unless you have taken the time to actually verify DF&G claims, you
wouldn't necessarily know since technically they are supposed to be telling
the truth.  Granted it doesn't take too long using the internet to verify
some of their "claims" but for some people (those overseeing DF&G) this is
still too long.
 
Rowan
I am not an expert on these subjects, nor do I play one on tv.  No money
back guarantee. :)
[Posted in FML issue 3388]