Sukie Crandall wrote:
>Then you wrote that she was referring to something completely different
>but she was NOT.  I, too, have seen the actual study and there were NO
>feral colonies.
 
I did not write that she was referring to something completely different,
I wrote "The Survey you refer to states:" and pasted the appropriate
references which came from the DFG site.  I assumed this was the survey
to which "she" referred.
 
>You seem to be forgetting that the CA F&G has a well known history of
>altering things to suit their own purposes.
 
How can I forget that which I don't know?  I had never even heard of
the CA DFG until I came across Californians for Ferret Legalization.  If
the DFG has a well known history of altering things to suit their own
purposes why don't people, including those you claim have been misquoted,
speak out?  Is the DFG so powerful that they can't be ousted by the
government or electors?
 
Incidentally, I haven't as yet followed up your suggestion of contacting
the people you mentioned as being misquoted, but I will.
 
>The person should at the very least be able to provide the names,
>affiliations, or both of the claimed scientists involved.  Otherwise,
>it is just someone saying something with zip - zero - nada to support
>the claims
 
I have read reports in the newspapers about various scientific studies.
I couldn't name one scientist but that doesn't mean that the studies
aren't going on or that the results of these studies have been published.
 
You have to understand that North Uist is one very small island in a
chain which only totals 150 miles long.  Local hunters come across these
feral ferrets.  I would be happy to email the article to you if you would
like to read it.  One of the links I enclosed in my previous email is for
an web page which mentions feral ferrets in South Uist.  In case you
missed it, here it is again:
http://www.earthdogrunningdog.com/articles/ewan_hebrideantale.htm
 
>No one argues that when the situations are right then feral colonies of
>polecats, polecat crosses, or even hunting ferrets can establish.  What
>is being argued is that the conditions here in the states simply are not
>amenable -- and have not been amenable -- to such feral situations.
>(One >exception may be HI
 
It was never my intention to imply that ferrets have colonised the whole
of the US and I accept that there may be few areas which might be
conducive to the survival of wild/feral ferrets.However, in a land mass
of 3,536,284 square miles might it not be extremely difficult to assess
accurately the numbers of such small animals which may be in existence,
given their habits?
 
The very fact that you say "one exception may be HI" implies that you are
amenable to the suggestion that feral ferrets may exist albeit in small
numbers in the US.
 
That being said, I have no desire to drag out this debate any further and
would like to conclude by thanking you for the very useful information
you have posted over the past few days.
 
George
[Posted in FML issue 4027]