Katherine I have to agree 100% - it is so misleading to the public for wildlife sanctuaries to also house domestic pets- it makes people think that ferrets can live fine in the wild and that raccoons make good pets, you know. Here at critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary we get calls daily to take in squirrels etc, and we have to explain that we only take pets- exotic pets - which mean that they are not dogs or cats & not native to our country and therefore cannot live in the wild here, and they have been bred in captivity sometimes for hundreds or thousands of years (ferrets, hedgehogs, etc.) People ask why we can't release the fennec foxes here- well for one we don't live in the Sahara desert, and for another they wouldn't know how to find food not in a bowl or a where to sleep without their beds, or not to snuggle up to cats & dogs..... In Illinois the licensing is compeltely different to have an animal shelter or be a wildlife rehabber, and all wildlife must be kept completely separate from all domestic animals. Which I feel is a good thing. It is so hard to educate the public on these issues as it is, it doesn't help when even rescuers mix the two. And hey i have to add a big thank you to Wolfy for her very sweet post about my son Alex's book & the article about him- I am so glad to know her thru the ferrets and the boys- what a kinship we have, even sharign a somewhat bizarre sense of humor :) Thanks woman!! Beth www.crittercamp.org Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary [Posted in FML 6840]