***IF*** I recall right I read years ago that South Africa outlawed the keeping of exotic (as in non-native) species which are not cats or dogs -- maybe about 5 or more years ago, including ferrets from what I think I remember, but are still having trouble with some of the more risky species in terms of being able to get loose and cause havoc. I ran into an article just about a week ago about a place which provides a safe haven for such confiscated individuals (I think that one was all primates and reptiles.) to live out their lives safely without reproducing or posing a risk to the environment. There is an active smuggling problem for small South and Central American primates according to what i have read. ***IF*** my recollection is correct and ***IF*** there is not a similar sanctuary for ferrets then they would have to smuggled, which is very unfair and unsafe for the animals (in one study on smuggled wooley monkeys coming to the U.S. there were an estimated 20 deaths for each survivor, and the chimp studies on smuggling had higher death rates), and then if confiscated at any point they would be destroyed. This comes up in a search but I know nothing about the individual: http://www.ferretguy.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=28 Again, my recollection could be off, so people would need to CHECK! Let's see what is the FML Archives. I only have time to pick out a few and a LOT of messages come up in the last 10 years so other should search there, too. Obviously, the ferret people who are there will know a LOT more than I could on this score. This is on ferrets having a short lifespan there: http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0002&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R1832 Ah, this says that importing of sterilized ones was still okay, but breeding was outlawed and it may be this that stuck in my memory but with changes: http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0001&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R19465 similar: http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9603&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R4717 contradicting that info in the first archives post listed but earlier: http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9911&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R16756 -- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private posts) Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love them: Ferret Health List http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ AFIP Ferret Pathology http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html Miamiferrets http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ International Ferret Congress Critical References http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5380]