This was mentioned in the Rochester News article forwarded to yesterday's FML: "They [MF] are regular target of animal rights groups." If that's the case, then it's no wonder that they don't want to allow anybody in to tour the facilities. Anybody not with a government agency could be seen as trying to scope the place out for a later "visit." It seems to me that in trying to talk with MF, it should be taken into account that they might be feeling something of a seige mentality and be highly suspicious of anyone trying to gain entrance to their breeding facilities (as yesterday's poster noted, they didn't even allow photos of the inside of the facilities to be run in the paper). While concerns about disease are quite valid, it's also probably being used as a bit of a smokescreen to deter visitors. I guess all I'm saying is that when approaching MF, try to put yourself in their position for a moment--not with regard to how they may treat their ferrets, but with regard to how they might react to outsiders trying to get in, as people who don't feel guilty about anything they are doing but do feel threatened by others. Depending on your language, you might be written off as a potential threat to their ferrets, even though you know that you are trying to help those ferrets. Whether they care about their ferrets as we do or whether they see them only as a cash commodity, they undoubtedly don't want to see their ferrets and beagles stolen or worse let loose to die very unecessary deaths. Just something to keep in mind... Regina Regina Harrison [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] http://www.channel1.com/users/regina/~gossamer.html Are the volcanoes still active? Please don't disappoint me! I believe in voodoo again. Stick needles in the telephone book. [Posted in FML issue 3628]