Linda writes
>I came upon a page about trapping ferrets in New Zealand
 
In the early 1900s, both domestic ferrets and wild European polecats
were released by the thousands in NZ to try to control the (also
introduced) rabbit population.  Ferrets and polecats have interbred,
and what is there now is probably more polecat than ferret.
 
A few years ago, domestic ferrets were made illegal there because of
concerns over the kiwi population.  Of course, the animals deliberately
introduced a century ago are the main problem, not the pets people keep
today.
 
Linda Iroff
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5322]