To readers of the FML,
I sent the following em and reply to Bob Church for comments a few days ago
for his thoughts since he seems to be the Guru Of All Things Ferretlike. I
imagine he is a bit busy right now (get better soon Bob!) to reply for a
while so here they are for you guys to comment on.
The first em is to the Department Of Natural Resources (DNR) in Queensland
Australia, where I'm from. This was to just initially 'test the waters".
The second is their reply
Best Regards everyone,
Paul Murfett
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Dear Ms Beck,
I sent an email a week ago requesting info on the ferret ban (and the reason
for it), and have not heard anything yet........ Maybe you're on holidays?
Anyway, at your earliest convenience could you send me the above requested
info. Please don't send me the brochure "Prohibited Pets" PA24 as I have a
copy. It is lacking information on ferrets in particular and is too general
in its content to help me.
I would assume the ban is related to the so called possibility of escape and
colonisation, which from what I have read is wrong. Even if it was true why
not allow them if all ferrets were required to be neutered?
Why are horses, donkeys, blackrats, house mice, goats, guinea pigs, brown
rats, pigs and not to mention cats and dogs allowed? Are any of these
required to be neutered at all? Some,if not all of these pets are
potentially much more damaging to the environment than neutered ferrets
wouldn't you agree?
In PA24, ferrets and polecats seemed to be grouped together even though they
are two different animals. Is this a typo or is this the source of the
problem, that is, the DNR believes polecats and ferrets are both wild
animals when the ferret has been domesticated for several thousand years?
Please note that I am generally regarded as a 'greenie' by friends and
family, and support looking after the environment wholeheartedly. But, I
don't understand why Queensland disallow a pet (read:companion), which 99.9%
of the world think is not a threat to the ecosystem(because they don't
survive in the wild). The ferret is also the most popular interactive pet
in the US after cats and dogs, with millions throughout the country with NO
reported wild colonies. It seems to me that the current Queensland policy
is outdated and based on misinformation and could be changed.
I am just after as much information as I can lay my hands on regarding
ferrets and their ban in Queensland. If my 'tone' has seemed rude or abrupt
at any time please accept my apology, for it is not my intention.
Best Regards,
Paul Murfett.
[log in to unmask]
PS: I have just read that the DNR mentions flexibility and continuous
improvement in their Corporate Mission and
Goals...............................
Maybe you could support the legalisation of domesticated ferrets
(neutered,and limited numbers per household as the ultimate insurance
scheme) as a good demonstration of these honourable visions?
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Part 2 QLD Ferret Policy
Here is the reply......................
---------------------------------------
Dear Paul
Debra Beck has asked me to respond to your em on the above subject.
Legislation:
Ferrets are listed as 'declared pest animals' under the Qld Rural Lands
Protection Act 1985 and the associated regulations (this Act is administered
by my Department, DNR). As such, it is an offence to keep these animals in
Qld without a permit from DNR (permits are only issued to registered
zoos/wildlife parks and Universities. The maximum penalty for keeping
declared pests without a permit stands at $3000. As far as I am aware,
ferrets are also included as 'prohibited fauna' under the Nature
Conservation Act which is administered by the Qld Department of Environment
(as such, approval to keep would also probably be required from that Dept.).
Rationale for ban - pest and disease risk
The reason for the ban is that ferrets are considered to have pest potential
in the cooler regions of southern Queensland. In addition, they may act as
a vector of rabies (along with the European fox) if the disease is ever
established in Australia. Although it is difficult if not impossible to
prove either way, whether they do or do not have pest potential, there is
good evidence that escaped ferrets have wiped out native bird species at
several locations overseas, including New Zealand, the British Isles and
Iceland.
On an island off the west coast of Scotland, ferrets and polecats (the wild
form of the domestic breeds) escaped captivity and soon interbred, becoming
a pest and preying on ground-nesting wild birds and domestic poultry (Lever
1972). Polecat-ferrets were released on the island of Harris in the Outer
Hebrides to control rabbits. They are considered responsible for the
extermination of the ptarmigan, a native bird (Lever 1972). There are also
thriving populations on the Scottish Islands of Arran and Bute, on the Isle
of Man in the Irish Sea and on the Isle of Anglesey off the north Coast of
north Wales as well as parts of Yorkshire. Feral ferrets are established in
many places in continental Europe, being especially common in Sicily and
Sardinia (Roots 1976).
Stoats, ferrets and weasels were deliberately released in New Zealand to
control rabbits. All three established wild populations to the detriment of
native wildlife (the stoats and weasels have a greater impact with the
ferret being restricted in distribution, Robertshaw, pers. comm.).
Based on the above "history as a pest elsewhere" (the key criteria we use to
prohibit potential pests, both animal and plant), the precautionary
principle should be applied to ferrets.
According to the literature I have, polecats and ferrets are the same
species. Both are reported to interbreed to produce viable progeny.
Ferrets appear to be domesticated forms of the original 'polecat'. Like
rabbits, some domestic breeds of ferrets probably can't survive in the wild,
but some might. Based on physical attributes, it is not possible to
differentiate between those breeds that could survive as opposed to breeds
that would perish. As such, I cannot understand how other States have
differentiated between the two in their legislation (i.e. only the domestic
forms are legal in most States). I suspect that they have never given the
issue much thought and I am not aware of any scientific pest risk
assessments completed to date by States that have legalised this species.
Basically, the potential costs associated with escape and naturalisation in
Qld are considered to outweigh the potential benefits (to the community)
associated with legalised keeping.
I think everyone would agree that Queensland has enough feral animal species
already and the risks associated with the widepsread keeping of additional
exotic animal species are difficult to justify (especially for species that
do not have a significant economic value).
As I say, much of this is based on what I have been able to read. I
acknowledge that some people will always argue that ferrets can't survive in
the wild, regardless of any information in the literature and certainly
regardless of the 'precautionary principle' as it is applied to preventative
pest management. The reason why ferrets have so far failed to naturalise in
Australia is interesting. It may simply be due to the fact that sufficient
numbers have never been released all at once into a favourable environment.
Regards.
Steve Csurhes
Exotic Species Officer (preventative pest management)
[Posted in FML issue 2009]
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