Before I say anything else at all, let me offer the heartiest
congratulations to Gary Kaskel for such a wonderful job of getting a copy
of Dr. Taylor's letter by using the Freedom of Information Act, and then
asking for factual verification of Taylor's statements.  Gary, you did a
fantastic job!  Again, congratulations.
 
 
>First, I fear they may escape, or be dumped - dozens show up in local
>shelters here all the time - and turn feral.  Although they do not tolerate
>cold well, a city environment will afford them with plenty of protection
>from the elements.  This has been seen in Hartford and Bridgeport CT.
>Lacking an innate fear of man, these aggressive creatures may have a
>profound effect on the indigenous park species of birds and small mammals,
>and may well have direct contact with man.
 
I am left wondering what compensation Dr. Taylor received in return for his
letter to the NYC Humane Society.  Surely he wouldn't place his reputation
on the line without an offer of compensation in some way.
 
But, his letter is interesting.  He states several things as facts without
once giving verifiable documentation.  He claims that there are feral
ferrets in both Hartford and Bridgeport, CT, and then goes on to suggest
that these feral ferrets *could* have an adverse effect on the birds and
small mammals in the parks of the cities in question, and on NYC as well.
Have any of you CT folks been made aware of such a serious problem in those
areas?  Have there been news stories of bands of ferral ferrets destroying
the city wildlife in those areas?
 
He also stated that he personally knew of two verified cases (again he
gave no documentation) of ferret attacks on babies.  Again, those cases
(especially the one in which he alleges the babies eyelids were ripped off)
should be easily documented.  It is strange that he failed to mention the
number of cat/dog cases involving babies in the same timeframe.  Instead
he chose to compare ferrets to tiger cubs.
 
As far as his comments on rabies go -- he must not be up on his Compendium
readings.  And speaking of rabies -- why haven't more people been bitten by
rabid ferrets in Hartford if there are feral ferrets who are "lacking an
innate fear of man" as Taylor puts it?  It is a real pity that he didn't
spend more time researching his facts before writing his letter.
 
I suggest that the NYC ferret groups do some research to find out how long
there has been a problem with feral ferrets in Hartford and Bridgeport, CT
(A letter from the city governments in question might prove interesting).
Find out when the alleged ferret attack he was associated with took place
and what the actual circumstances were.  Once the facts are in, a calm
press conference would be in order laying out Dr. Taylor's letter and who
solicited it, and the true facts of the matter.  Somehow, I suspect the
result will not be too favorable to City Hall in NYC.  The public tends to
be very unfavorable to city officials soliciting false statements from
so-called "experts."
 
Scott
[Posted in FML issue 2753]