Dear Ferret Folks- Yesterday I had the opportunity to travel to the city of Cancun, Mexico, about thirty miles north of me here in Playa Del Carmen. Cancun has some nice beaches, but is very heavily built up. It also possesses more malls than any other place I have ever been to. They are beautifully air conditioned, so they are very attractive on a hot day. Me, I am a failure as a Mall Rat, was even before my untimely demise. But that's where my posse wanted to go, so off we went. I looked around, and did find the pet store that sold the unfortunate Koko, the little ferret whose sweet face was on a "Lost" poster taped to a plam in Playa Del Carmen. The poster is no longer there. I assume Koko is toast. This is a punishing place to be lost. Street cats, hungry dogs, high temperatures, no free water. And a populace who has never seen a ferret before, and would think it was some sort of deformed rat. I Hope you are running free in the afterworld, Koko. The store was very clean, and well attended. They had more *amazing* birds than I can possibly describe, certainly kinds we don' t as a rule see in the U.S. Wild bird poaching right out of the jungle is a real problem here. Some species are really taking it on the chin due to their popularity as pets. There are many little stores in Playa, little homey hardware stores that have bird cages for sale hanging from the rafters. Homeowners hang the cages (with bird) in their gated courtyards. You hear them all over the city. You can buy completel illegal birds right out on the street, at the live bird store on 30th street. The store is the the only place I know of where ferrets are sold. They are very rare down here, and not available at local Mom and Pop pet stores. When I ask about ferrets (huron, in Spanish) I am invariably referred to that particular store. They had six kits in a too small glass container in wood shavings. They did not have toys. The container was very clean, however...no loose poop, clean shavings. The kits were all at a point where they could chew kibble I think, but mush was provided, as was clean water.The kits looked to be in good condition, I saw no evidence of prolapsed rectums. I have seen ferrets in the states in *much* worse condition. The kits had clean coats fluffed up against the AC, and were having a happy nap in a pile. I have NO IDEA if they are legal here, but legal can mean many things in Mexico. When asked, almost no Mexicans even know what ferrets are. I have to explain that they are like minks. They are often a little hazy on mink, too. This is a tropical place where I hang out. Not many fur coats! Regardless of legality, a kit here costs $1,850 pesos which is around a hundred and fifty dollars. This, in a country where the minum daily wage is a little over five US bucks and change. Not hourly, *daily.* Now you know why there are some eight to ten million illegal Mexicans in the US. A job washing dishes under the table can make you hourly what you made in a *day* in Mexico. Ferrets, however, remain above these worldly considerations. Alexandra in MA Still dead, but feeling a little better, thanks. [Posted in FML 6246]