I don't respond to many "charged issues" for good reason, I don't like to
get caught up in them.  But this one really caught me choking on my soda as
I read it, so I thought I'd speak.  I'll probably regret it, I know.
 
From Edward Lipinski yesterday:
>... As I've mentioned before several times, a vasectomized male ferret
>kept with an intact, fertile female ferret, will mate with her as required
>and she'll not develop aplastic anemia nor will she become embryonically
>pregnant and deliver unwanted baby ferrets (kits).  She'll be a very happy
>contented female, ...
 
My altered females are completely content, happy, and healthy.  No less
happy than any whole female.  They also don't go through the aggression
from a male (vasectomized or not) when he mates.  And it is aggressive, for
anyone who's never seen it.  It can be vicious.
 
----snipped the blatantly unnecessary comments about penetration-----
>Surely, would you deny your little female the thrill and joy of sexual
>intercourse that you yourself enjoy?  Who are you to deny one of God's
>creatures the ultimate experience and wonderful feeling of heterosexual
>love? ...
 
Ed, I'd assume that you know, human beings are the ONLY creatures that
engage in sexual activity for fun and pleasure.  All other creatures do it
for one reason-- breeding.  Love has not a thing in the world to do with
it.  I'm surprised that you tried to use this as an argument for not
altering ferrets.
 
>... I've had the experience of watching females die of aplastic anemia,
>have photographed them, and can assure you with photographs if you're
>interested, of their peaceful, sleeplike, comatose deaths.  I know of no
>ferret that has died, as you put it, bleeding from all orifices of her
>body, as a consequence directly of aplastic anemia.  ...
 
Excuse me??  You have "experienced" this?  You have "photographed" this???
You've gotta be kidding me.  Did you bother to DO anything about this
(these??) poor ferrets??  Like SPAY them?  Get medical treatment?  I
realize that you may have left some parts out of this conversation, and I
pray that you did.  Not to mention, you seem to enjoy goading people to a
rise, well it worked in me, because if you're just messing with minds, you
have to know that you're messing with people's minds who are here to
*learn* about ferrets, and might actually believe some of the things that
you say.  By saying what you said, it sounds to me like you had a (some??)
female ferrets that you simply did not breed or fix and they were dying and
you thought, Oh, how fun, let's "experience the joy of ferrets dying" and
you photographed it.  I know that I don't want to get into a war with you,
I don't have the time or the desire to go ten rounds with you, but please
tell me that you got veterinary care for this (these) ferrets.  Sometimes
the things that you write really scare me.
 
Kymberlie Barone
Director,
Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
Montgomery County Branch
http://www.ferretrescue.com
"Forget Puppy Love... There's nothing greater than Ferret Love!"tm
[Posted in FML issue 2438]