Hello fellow friends of ferrets!
 
        This letter is mostly just to let off a little steam.  It's
amazing how dumb some people can be... let me explain.
        I'm home from Cornell University for the summer, living in
Connecticut, where ferrets are treated just like any other domestic
animal.  But when I go back to Cornell, I'll need one of those $10 NY
state ferret licenses.  Well, fine, that's not so bad... the state just
needs some money, so they charge ferret owners ten bucks.  I can deal
with that.   But when I finally got the license application today, I was
quite upset at the blatently stupid WARNING from the New York State
Health Department, enclosed in a bold outlined rectangle at the bottom
of the application.  Here's the exact text of the warning:
 
                             WARNING
            From the New York State Health Department
 
     As a prospective purchaser of a pet ferret you need to be aware
     that ferrets may for some unknown reason attack humans, especially
     babies and young children.  There have been reports, in this state
     as well as accross the country, of ferrets crawling into cribs and
     inflicting multiple bites on babies.  They have also without
     warning, attacked young children sitting or playing on the floor.
     IF YOU HAVE A BABY OR YOUNG CHILDREN IN YOUR HOME IT IS ESSENTIAL
     THAT IF YOU PURCHASE A FERRET IT MUST BE KEPT IN A SECURE CAGE AT
     ALL TIMES.
     [... new rabies vaccine notice deleted ...]
 
 
That just makes me mad.  Forgive me if this seems like I'm overreacting,
but I've never actually seen such nonsense before... I've only heard
about it second hand from those fighting for ferret awareness in other
locations.
        Well, I'm not going to let this stand.  I intend to write
letters to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(the department which issues ferret licenses) and try to get that
warning removed.  What I'd like from the rest of you is a little help in
this area:  Statistics would be most appreciated, including sources.
Nancy, perhaps you could be of assistance here? :)  I'd like to see ferret
bites vs. dog bites / cat bites, to demonstrate that ferrets have a
lower attack rate than either of the others (I believe this is true, is
it not?).  Any other supportive info you could send me would also be greatly
appreciated!  Also, if anyone reading is a New York state resident, if
you'd like to you could send in similar letters referring to the warning.
The more the merrier :)
 The address is: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
                 Division of Fish and Wildlife
                 Special Licenses Unit
                 50 Wolf Road
                 Albany, New York 12233-4752
 
        I know this is not nearly as important as getting ferrets legal
in Ferret Free Zones, but it's still something I'd like to see done
along with the bigger stuff.  The last thing we need is more
disinformation from people like the NYSDEC.  Thanks for your help!
 
 
                                     ,
--Seth Morabito,       Beren,  and  Luthien
 
     (human)              (ferrets)
 
[Posted in FML issue 0500]