Leanne- With all due respect- your emotional pleas IS understandable but what you seem NOT to recognize is this kind of ACT WILL NOT force the system to function any differently. YOU CANNOT force a system to work when you cripple it as the OR rescue did. There were things that COULD have been done that were not- I will not go into that at this venture-- it is over & done now. THERE WILL NEVER be a good system UNTIL we start working WITHIN THE CONFINES of our established legal system. IF you feel the laws or procedures are not adequate you NEED to get active in amending your local & state laws. DON't cry unless you are willing to fight to change the system. What has occurred is that there will be no way to make the "rescue " caretaker or board of directors responsible for the care of these animals. (Yes even board members can be held accountable for the condition and penalized for allowing this to occur ). I do not care how much you argue about how this was good or necessary the fact remains someone several someone's got off the hook - and others are going to need to provide the care etc. The system has no need to enforce anything as this was a "no-cost" venture for them. Heck they don't even know this existed. I know that across the US more an more rescue people with SPCA, ARL etc are becoming familiar with ferrets. That is one reason why the shelter for had a booth and gave away literature at the 200 No-Kill Conference. Our shelter has the opportunity to present a 90 minute training seminar to the international sheltering community in 2003 at the CHAMPS and we will! The education must take place and we need to help educate.. you are part of the problem if you do not . Great efforts MUST be made to change the way citizens at large regard our pets. It will not be done through illegal seizure and condemnation of a working justice system ( no system is perfect). They ( the established shelter community) do not understand about the ferret but many are already open to them. We need more changes within the sheltering community for the Good of the ferret. You can make no progress until you educate and try to help the system along. When you say the animals cannot be released for foster or care to another rescue- you are full of crap! Literally here ( eastern US) it is done all the time. These procedures NEED to be set up IN ADVANCE with local humane providers by clubs and local ferret rescues! We ( our shelter) took in 19 NJ ferrets (all the way to NH) from an SPCA seizure in 1999 I believe - while charges were being filed. I am not sure where you get this information - it may be something your local friends told you BUT IT CAN be done. The NH humane system has a net and on large rescues they INDEED to send the animals around to breed rescues etc., for care pending court outcomes. That is how they document costs of care etc., and make the court award a settlement to the humane providers! Maybe you have redneck ways in TX and feel the actions were appropriate but I would do some checking & rechecking- I know I will. I will be in eastern TX in Nov. and have some long-standing ties to the TX police community. You bet I will look into your claims post haste and be happy to report back to this forum! (I have already forwarded your post to my "friends" in TX law enforcement for clarification) As for your comment" look at the whole Jen Morrision deal... Animals lots of them lay DEAD in their cages, most so sick they couldn't stand up etc.. and this was witnessed by a lot of people.".... I cannot begin to tell you how ferret community has caused the outcome of this. Hat, emotional letters DEMANDING the atty, prosecutors etc to take an action will only cause this type of reaction. You MOCK they system with disrespect. While I too was upset that the punishment did not fit the crime- we caused the whole thing to happen. The ferret community cannot act like rednecks and expect any respect from local justice systems plain and simple! While we have this mentality there will be no justice for ferrets- they will be a mockery and WE AS A WHOLE need to understand that. The fact that NO witnesses ever make these inflammatory overstated cries and please is another issue all together- we hear third hand, fourth hand and fact get distorted. The emotional pleas get overblown and facts get blown out of proportion. I have received several reports that the reports we received via this list was NOT accurate rather overblown and reactionary - say what to this? Were you there? - did you see? I am not debating a zillion more points that COULD be made in regard to your post. The facts are the SYSTEM will not change UNTIL we work with it! And we must for the good for the ferrets! Alicia D. [Posted in FML issue 3926]