D.E.,
I can understand your concern and would agree with it totally *IF* cats and
dogs were also illegal.  Feral cats are a major impact on the eco system.
 They are consumate hunters and often hunt for the pleasure of it.  Dogs tend
to run in packs and can bring down very large animals.  Both breed readily in
the wild and can survive quite well.
 
Ferrets on the other hand are very finicky eaters.  Most will not eat
anything but the dry kitten food that they are used to.  Bell, when he tried
to see if ferrets could get rabies by eating rabid mice (they can't by the
way), had all kinds of problems getting even starving ferrets to eat the
mice.  Most ferrets from ferret farms and many breeders are altered before
sell and wouldn't multiply in the wild.  Every attempt to introduce them into
the wild has met with failure according to CDFA's 1990 ferret information
manual.  This includes islands off Washington and New Zeland.
 
In other words, a ferret may be the ideal pet to allow in a delicate eco
system.
 
My opinion only,
 
Dick B
[Posted in FML issue 1034]