Rachel said, >Have there been any studies done on Mustela furo competing with Mustela >negripes? No, none. What's there to study? The black-footed ferret only exists in captive breeding programs and as reintroductions in a few selected locales. However, here is another clue. For an animal to compete against ANY other animal, it has to be able to do a number of things: find shelter, water and food, evade predators, it must successfully invade the niche, AND after doing all of that, it MUST IMPACT the other species. No impact, no competition. Rachel said, >It's one thing to run my mouth off in class... I do it all the time and I am never embarrassed. Sometimes I answer questions that were never asked because something shiny distracted me for a moment, a follow-up question deflected my thoughts, or I simply heard the question wrong, and I am never embarrassed about those either. Some instructors are so worried about meeting their academic goals that they shut down the most important aspect of learning: discussion. REAL academic debate, not that Republican "Sustained Interruption and Yelling" crap that is currently called "debate" on TV, is a thoughtful discussion of the issues, where both sides allow the other to make their point, because they both realize truth is usually somewhere in the middle and a clear discussion often illuminates the answer. ANY ATTEMPT TO STOP OPEN DISCUSSION, FOR ANY REASON, IS CENSORSHIP!!!! When an instructor cuts off my line of reasoning, I point it out, ask exactly when such a discussion is appropriate, and if time is not made available, I IMMEDIATELY COMPLAIN to the department chair. Part of the learning process is the ability to question and discuss issues, which doesn't exist in an environment of censorship and academic condescension. These are the facts: 1. There is NO evidence in existence that suggests in any manner that domesticated ferrets have ever impacted the black-footed ferret population--if your instructor suggests otherwise, as for a reference! 2. There is NO evidence domesticated ferrets have ever become an introduced species in the United States -- I have copies of EVERY published report cited by the fish and game, and with a single exception, not a solitary account can prove any recovered or sighted domesticated ferrets were not simply lost or abandoned individuals. The ONLY report that can be taken as evidence ferrets existed for a short time in the wild was on the San Juan Islands, where released ferrets lived on introduced European rabbits for a short time before the ferret population died out. Even in an island environment in the USA, domesticated ferrets cannot out-compete native mustelids. 3. I can document the presence of ferrets in the USA since the revolution: 225+ years. During US history, mature breeder ferrets escaped or were purposefully released in numerous locations at numerous times, including (but not limited to) New York, Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Yet during all this time, with all these releases of sexually mature animals, not a single feral ferret population exists in the USA. Suggest in a mildly condescending way that your instructor has eschewed these facts when suggesting domesticated ferrets could impact local populations. Get catty about it, and dog them with the facts. Point out conservation departments exist to regulate hunting and fishing, not preserving species, and many of the animals they protect are neither native to the USA, nor have a benign effect on native populations. Then push the point: demand a reference, ANY reference that scientifically establishes the innuendo that ferrets can hurt native species. Good luck, and you might want to discuss the instructor's condescension with the department chair. Instructors are accountable for teaching false information. Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4421]