Again: when people give up they create a bad situation which is self-fulfilling in horrid outcomes. Don't paint yourselves into corners and don't burn bridges! Okay, mixed metaphores with sayings but i have asthma... Besides some of the nasty behaviors or uncooperative actions do strand people in corners upon burning bridges and guaranty falling into failure. What has worked for others and can work for ferrets is to begin by providing the animal control people and humane groups with help: 1. the ferrets groups working as advisors 2. the ferret groups working as foster homes to lessen the load of the others These create trust and cooperation. THEN the reverse of the situation is that those groups help when a case has to be brought, but first the relationship and trust need to be in place. This is how others have done it successfully, so it is an approach that is KNOWN to work. Yes, it takes some gentle diplomacy, but you know the definition of diplomacy don't you? It is letting others have things your way. (NOT bludgeoning others into having things your way, BTW.) The final outcome of doing things the way they have always been done is that we will just see the same abusers and hoarders repeating and repeating, which is EXACTLY what we DO keep seeing, year after year, plus new abusers and hoarders added. We are just running in circles, folks! We have to fight this in a more intelligent fashion! That means knowing the limitations of local laws so that effective working within those laws can be achieved, gently and cooperatively putting the relationships into place that will prevent deaths which can be avoided once the large humane groups or animal control responds, and logically working to improve laws. There are those who have used EACH of these things to the advantage of ferrets. We have all celebrated when such achievements have occurred. It can be done. It has been done. It can be done again. [Posted in FML issue 3926]