Hi everyone. Lots of people naturally stressed and distressed about a huge number of ferrets apparently being kept in horrendous conditions in Ohio.. It is easy to look back and wish different decisions had been made in Iraq. What did the government think was going to happen after we "won?" If it somehow comes to pass that approximately 1000 ferrets are to be rescued and placed throughout the country...it is wise to see through to the ends of the rescue. What happens if we win the war? IF there are 1000 ferrets rescued, carriers will be necessary along with containers for food and water, and the food. If you place 3 ferrets per carrier and the carrier and food and water containers and food cost $30.00 per every 3 ferrets until they are transported to their destination, it will cost $10,500. To give exams, distemper shots, and blood tests per ferret, a bargain price would be $70 a ferret, or $70,000.00 If 20% of the ferrets that live in such stressful conditions needed a med for insulinoma, or cardiomyopathy or adrenal in the first year, it would cost about $50 a month for just one of those meds where I live. 20% of 1000 ferrets is 200 ferrets. The first 12 months of treatment for the shelters taking in the ferrets that most people would not want to adopt could cost $120,000.00 If 10% of 1000 ferrets needed surgery in the first year at $500.00 a surgery (a low ball figure in this area, as surgery would start at $600)and we low ball big time again and say that surgery will include X-rays and complete blood tests, the cost would be $50,000 for the shelters taking in the ferrets. The total cost for only the first year of the rescue and placement... not including transport, litter, and bedding could be about **$250,000.** It could be much, much more. If 1000 people donated to rescue the ferrets, they would each have to donate $250. specifically to the large ferret rescue to reach the $250,000 mark. That is a heck of a lot of money. It would not be fair to expect the shelters to suddenly come up with the funds for multiple surgeries and med's and exams and blood tests and shots for all the ferrets that might be rescued. As it is, I am only giving the first year possible bills. I hope that as members of the FML, we think about all this and formulate a potential plan for large ferret rescues. PLEASE think through any possible large rescue. We do not need another financial tragedy as we have now in our country in the FML community. . Maybe we could ask SOS to suggest a $50 donation to everyone who can afford it to put aside for this or another large rescue for this year. It IS a write off. And it is a start. We could see how that went at the end of this year. To expect a thousand people to donate $250 for the Ohio ferret rescue possibility in one year is not probable. To expect 2000 people to donate $175 in one year towards a huge ferret rescue is still not probable. I like the idea of donating money to SOS in an interest baring account at SOS over the years to go only towards a large rescue. I am in no position to implement this idea. But we are not going to rescue 1000 ferrets without a hefty reserve of money to achieve this goal unless you utterly overtly stress shelters already stretched to their limits. Meanwhile, if anything can be done...maybe it could be that the people with all these ferrets could be made to stop breeding altogether and be allowed x number of years to deplete their "stock." Maybe at the symposium this year, a sum of money to go towards very large ferret rescue. This could be looked at as being premature. It may never come to pass that the 1000 ferrets will be saved. But it will only be time before another big rescue comes up. It would take 5 years of 1000 people donating $50 a year towards large rescues to reach $259,000. Instead of causing people brutal financial anguish as the Utah rescue did, NOW is the time to see to the ends of a large rescue. SOS would have to decide if the rescue would have to be in the US, and what would constitute a large rescue. They may be so overworked already that this is not feasible. Or is there another group already in place for future large ferret rescues? We , in my humble opinion, should be working on reserves for large rescues even if the Ohio rescue becomes impossible. Thank you, Lisette [Posted in FML 5526]