Hello everyone, On Thursday, April 6th, at 10:00 AM the CA Fish and Game Commission will again hear the ferret issue. The meeting will be held at the Resources Bldg. Auditorium (first floor) at 1416 9th St., Sacramento. Expected to testify against this issue is the CA Waterfowl Association who apparently has a close relationship with UC Davis Wildlife Biologist Dessley Whisson, National Audubon Society and possibly the Sierra Club and Farm Bureau. These organizations have consistently lied about ferrets and their ability to impact wildlife. They don't seem to care that the CA Department of Fish and Game's own survey showed that not a single state in this country has ever documented a case of feral ferrets. In contrast, cats, dogs (CA Waterfowl members routinely use dogs to retrieve ducks), horses, goats and pigs, do go feral in the US. These organizations support making criminals of everyone of you that own domesticated ferrets yet they can own dometsticated pets that are far more dangerous to the environment with impunity. This is unfair and if you don't want to see this continue, you must take a stand. I've told you all before to get a copy of the survey that Fish and Game did on ferrets. The results are stellar and you need to be able to use this to help legalize your pets. The survey is called 1996-97 Nationwide Ferret Survey of State Wildlife Agencies. It is available from the Department of Fish and Game. I urge you to obtain a copy of this survey to use both with your legislators and the Commission. It is available by requesting the 1996-97 Nationwide Ferret Survey of State Wildlife Agencies and by writing to: Ron Jurek Department of Fish and Game 1416 9th st. #1266 Sacramento, CA 95814 Ferret supports need a large and positive presence at this hearing. I can't emphasize this enough! If you can come, be prepared to make a short statement in support of this issue. If you can't come, you must write to the Commission and have all of your friends, family and ferret veterinarian write as well. They need to know the scope of this issue since the opposition consistently tries to misrepresent this issue as only affecting a very few. When you testify or write to the Commission, let them know that the inclusion of a single domesticated species in a list of prohibited wildlife makes no sense--even more so when the animal is clearly a safer pet to the environment than a dog or cat. Let them know that the ferret's status as domesticated in irrefutable and is confirmed by 155 zoos, zoological societies and mamalogists. Keeping this domesticated pet in a list of prohibited wildlife criminalizes Californians who own or want to own ferrets. Point out the double standard of organizations like CA Waterfowl whose members own dogs. Dogs cause more harm to the environment and people than ferrets. Tell the Commission that the law isn't working. That CA pet stores routinely stock ferret supplies and that by the number of folks you know that own ferrets, this law is routinely ignored. A law must be reasonable to be obeyed and this law is unreasonable. It's tantamount to banning dogs in Delaware or cats in Connecticut! Let the Commissioners know that by removing the single domesticated species (the ferret) from the list of prohibited wildlife will not open the door to sugar gliders, hedgehogs and the like because these animals are not domesticated. These animals are not legal in the rest of the states on the continent. Keeping the ferret in a list of wildlife because of this fear is groundless and only serves to diminish the authority of the Commission and the Department because the public routinely disobeys this law. If you don't want these organizations and individuals to continue to misrepresent ferrets, and the ferret issue, if you don't want them to choose your domesticated pets for you, then you must come to the meeting and speak up. For those of you who live too far away, you must write to the Commission. Here's the address: CA Fish and Game Commission 1416 9th St. Sacramento, CA 95814 Please make a note that you want your letter to be a part of the record on the ferret issue! Jeanne Carley Californains for Ferret Legalization 410 Mountain Home Road Woodside, CA 94062 www.ferretnews.org [Posted in FML issue 2957]