Go to http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html and then open the
consultation section and make your city councilman aware of it.  It may
be that the single BEST thing that you can get the city council to do is
for them to use knowledgeable veterinary pathologists and vets who are
also epidemiologists (Public Health Vets) to know which types of animals
may pose the most risk so that they can trim their list.  Lumping
everything together makes no sense what-so-ever since some unusual pets
are very safe while others aren't.  It will also be very important to
offer up numerous taxonomic sources of proof that ferrets are in
Carnivora like cats and dogs are (rather than being rodents) such as
using _Walker's Mammals of the World_,
 
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/carnivora/
mustelidae.html
 
http://www.geobop.com/Mammals/Carnivora/Mustelidae/ ,
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/classification.htm ,
etc. and to show pictures that illustrate just how long ferrets have
been domestic companions by printing out art work from
http://www.doctorbeer.com/joyce/ferrets/frhistpg.htm ,
http://home.worldonline.nl/~wfu/ferret.html and similar sites.
 
In addition, this may be of use:
http://sciences.univ-angers.fr/ecologie/RefMustelidneo.html
 
This FHL post should be of great help:
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=SG5239
 
>Last week, I collaborated on a site for human pathologists on
>monkeypox
>( >http://www.afip.org/Departments/infectious/mp/index.html).
 
>While the CDC (and most non-veterinarians) often take a very wide
>stance, there is no evidence, in >over 30 years of monkeypox
>literature, of infection or transmission of the disease by animals
>other >than monkeys (the natural host) and rodents (the natural
>reservoir).
 
>The chance of a ferret transmitting this disease, in my opinion, is
>negligible - I would hate to see the >natural suspicion of
>physicians become widespread in the ferret-owning community, so take
>the CDC >site with a grain of salt.
 
>With kindest regards,
>Bruce Williams, DVM
 
I know that someone saved one of my FML posts on the confusion about
exotics because someone asked if it could be put into a newsletter.
Could that person, PLEASE, forward a copy to her?
 
  "Viki S. Rollins" <[log in to unmask]> writes:
 
>Chicago is in danger of becoming the next possible FFZ.  In response
>to the recent monkeypox/prairie dog issues, Alderman Edward M. Burke
>(according to my alderman) proposed a new measure Wednesday, July 9th,
>that would ban "sale and possession of exotic pets...in the city." For
>more information go to the following URL and read the second to last
>paragraph.
 
and she continues in a second post to indicate that ferret are within
the ban by providing part of the listing.
[Posted in FML issue 4213]