[Moderator's note: Part 2 -- Sukie's response -- follows in the next post. BIG] >Sukie: You need to understand that the AVAR is not actively lobbying >against ferret breeding or any new ferret legislation in CA. We opposed >the CA legislation a few years ago when the rabies issue was not resolved. >Additionally, our board members have not agreed on the legalization issue. >The matter has not been discussed at any length because we are not >actively working on any issues related to ferrets at this time. Some of >us come from a more animal rights philosophical perspective that further >domestication will not be good for these animals rather than submitting to >the fact that people have violated CA's law by having and breeding ferrets >thus placing these animals at risk and we should now correct this >situation by legalizing them. Instead of ferret 'owners' taking >responsibility for their ferrets' underground living situation, which they >created, they blame the rest of us for the harmful results to ferrets >because they aren't legal. Perhaps people should have worked to legalize >ferrets BEFORE they decided to bring and breed tens of thousands of them >here in this state. > >As I mentioned before, I have done some work in this area and understand >the issues surrounding ferrets. We have tried to bring the issue of >laypersons doing surgeries on these animals to the forefront. The >American Veterinary Medical Association has subseqently taken a position >that calls for ferrets to receive proper medical care through >sterilizations by trained and licensed veterinarians. We also have >alerted people through a couple of articles about ferret mills that we >wrote so that they will be aware of who they are supporting when they >purchase a ferret. > >I think to call the regulation of ferret breeding or curbing the >proliferation of 'pet' ferrets as 'genocide' is a bit strong. Ferrets >were once, as you acknowledge, a wild animal who survived in a natural >situation without the help of humans. They could continue to do so if >their habitat were protected. I'm not convinced that humans would be >messing up entire genetic groups or causing harm to any species by >allowing it to proliferate on its own accord through natural selection. >If anything, humans have tinkered with the genetics of these and other >species through unethical breeding practices, which have caused a great >deal of harm rather than good. > >I'm not sure I understand your argument about stopping Marshall Farms >from their production practices either. Their ferrets live in miserable >conditions and are assembly-line produced for pets and as research tools. >We will not be held hostage by MF's potential to invest in other forms of >animal abuse. AVAR is against any form of animal exploitation or abuse, >regardless of the perceived benefits of their use. If you look into the >issue of toxicology on ferrets, you will find that they suffer terribly >for human convenience, not survival. > >The ferret issue, in my opinion, has more to do with the needs of people >rather than the needs of these animals. I have heard over and over again >how much people enjoy these animals, and it seems obvious to me that this >is simply a matter of human indulgence. They're KEPT, just like cats and >dogs. The difference between ferrets and cats and dogs, however, is that >ferrets (in most cases) are intentionally bred rather than rescued from >destruction. For those of us who do care for companion cats, dogs, >chickens, geese, etc., we do so because they are going to be killed if we >don't rescue them. Additionally, many cats and dogs, in my opinion, are >not treated well or provided with the necessities for having their needs >met. Many dogs live at the end of a chain and cats are routinely squished >on the road or left to fend for themselves. God knows the humane >community is not out breeding them and, in fact, works diligently to >stop their breeding. [Posted in FML issue 2918]