Sorry to read that.  Do post the addresses of the NZ Dept. of Tourism and
the name of that department's director; I sure know that this news alters
a long-time plan here and I am sure that others would be happy to also
inform them of lost future tourism due to the ferret ban.
 
We have folks who don't use their brains here, either.  Here we've got
people screaming about deer in relation to Lyme Disease (and killing them
in some places with that as a flase reason) when ground nesting rodents
are the reservoir fo the disease and deer are merely the preferred host so
killing the deer may ironically increase the rate of Lyme becuase more
ticks will feed from hosts other than the deer (preferred ones) lmeaning
possibly more exposures for humans, domestic animals, and their 30 or so
other local wild hosts.  You in NZ have politicians who are also trying to
make it look like they are doing something when they aren't: by getting
rid of domestic ferrets when rats are the big introduced threat to
flightless birds and dogs and cats are more of a threat than ferrets, and
when per capita domestic ferrets have lower serious bite rates than cats
or dogs... Some folks just sit on their brains and some care more about
appearances than facts.  I find it interesting that the only form of math
that many politicians can understand at all involves numbers preficed by
"voter opinion poll".  Maybe all politicians should have to prove that
they can wqrite their own speeches and are not innumerate or
scientifically illiterate.  (Like THAT would ever happen...) Guess the
ferret folks will be getting out the vote for opponents of the idiots next
time around...
 
Specialist vets:  go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list/ and go to the Files
section; then read in BOTH the recommended vets list AND the shelter
list, also go to http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc and use the search
engine, and go to http://www.ferretcentral.org and use the links to
recommended vets lists.  Also, check with your state's vet school(s)
because they will have veterinary osteologists.
 
Best of luck to you and your little one!
 
Sukie (who hopes this makes enough sense during an asthma season --
have troubke expressing myself at these times)
for FERRET HEALTH info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list/
http://geocities.com/sukieslist
 
[Posted in FML issue 3737]