At first, this is going to be a letter writing campaign. The simple fact is that until we swamp the elected officials in PA, the CDC, FDA and others with massive amounts of letters demanding that something be done, it's going to be business as usual. Large bails of hand written letters really do make an impression on people. It's so easy to spit out an email, but a hand written letter takes time and costs money to send. All these elected officials and government agencies need to feel the pressure from the ferret community. We will not allow Triple F to sweep this under the rug. Please, keep all correspondence polite. Please remember to use Honorable as indicated below (in the address but not in the salutation line) for both the governor and lieutenant governor. There are many elected state officials who will not take letters from anyone outside of their constituency. There are also elected officials who make it a point to read all hand written correspondence. They figure if you had the time to actually sit down and hand write a letter, then it deserves to be read. If you do hand write a letter, please write legibly. There are sample letters included, but after reading them, please take some time and do your own letter. Individual and distinct letters will have a bigger impact than a form letter. Writing to the Governor and the First Lady (same address as the governor): On the Governor of PA's website, I found that he and his wife are dog lovers. Check out the First Lady's section of the Governor's website to read about their two new Airedale puppies - see the pictures of them with the puppies. We should appeal to this by sending pictures of our ferrets (not as an attachment to an email please) with our correspondence. Maybe they've never seen a ferret or know how popular they are as pets in the U.S. Would the cries in the video haunt them forever if they were the cries of Airedale puppies? Don't be vulgar or gross -- but still try to convey the level of atrocities that have occurred. Respectfully ask them to watch the video - it says it all. You can write to Governor Corbitt AND his wife. Honorable Governor Tom Corbitt Governor's Office 225 Main Capitol Building Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120 Phone: (717) 787-2500 Fax: (717) 772-8284 Email here: <http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/contact/2998/e-mail_the_governor's_office/465341> or: [log in to unmask] First Lady (Governor's wife): Susan Corbitt First Lady Susan Corbett Invites Pennsylvania Children to Enter "Name the Pups" Competition. <http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/the_first_lady/4359> First Lady Susan Corbett invites all Pennsylvania children 12 and younger to enter the "Name the Pups" Competition, a contest to name the Corbetts' two new Airedale puppies arriving in late July. <http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania's_first_dogs/20320> Sample Letter to the Governor: Dear Governor Corbitt: As a (insert state you reside in) constituent, I pray that you share the outrage that myself and the entire world is over the conditions and operations of The Triple F Ferret Farm. What is viewed and stated in the above referenced links, no doubt, is only a small part of the horrendous inhumanity being part of Triple F's standard operating procedures. The truth of such deplorable conditions and abhorrent behavior of Triple F Ferret Farm employees are a direct reflection of the exhibited lack of morals and personal standards of the supervisory staff and owners. Each and every person that walks through the doors of this cruelty factory is guilty of the most outrageous disrespect for life. As a dutiful public servant, I now personally charge you with the responsibility to be these animals' advocate, and search out a resolve that will protect and provide a comfortable kind existence for them, from the breeders to the precious babies birthed there. There are many options and groups ready and willing to support a "life" option as the most desired choice (see contacts below). The cries of the babies in the videos, alone, will haunt me for the rest of my life. I, for one, will not be quiet and tolerate such gross inhumanity. There are local, state and Federal laws regulating this facility, their operation, their intentional cruelty and neglect. I hereby demand enforcement of the existing laws! I look forward to your response, and updates as to how you are going to resolve this situation. Sincerely, Name and contact info Writing to the Lieutenant Governor: Honorable Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley 200 Main Capitol Building Harrisburg, PA 17120 Phone: (717) 787-3300 Fax: (717) 783-0150 Email the Lieutenant Governor: <http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/contact/19921> Writing to the Bradford County Health Department: Bradford County, PA (the county that Triple F Farms is in): Bradford County Health Department does not take animal complaints of any kind, and they referred me to the PA Department of Agriculture. Dept. of Agriculture: 570-836-2181 Regent III, not charged with enforcing animal cruelty laws, however, they said that if they received a number of complaints, they would research to see what laws they could enforce. BTW, this man did know about Triple F. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture PO Box C Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Writing to the Bradford County Humane Society: Bradford County Humane Society Po Box 179 Route 220 Ulster, PA 18850 Phone: 570-888-2114 Fax: 570-888-8707 Email: [log in to unmask] Writing to the Centers for Disease Control: * No matter where you live, if you are a legal, tax-paying resident of the USA you have a right to contact the CDC , NIH, and the FDA about 3F and request that these government organizations cease all contracts with 3F. Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. Director Centers For Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. NE Atlanta, GA 30333 Dear Dr. Frieden, Please allow me to voice my distress and disapproval of the current situation with Triple F Farms of Pennsylvania. (USDA Registration #17976; Triple F Farms, 3573 Vetter Rd., Sayre, PA 18840) As a registered tax paying citizen of INSERT YOUR STATE HERE, I politely request that any and all contracts with Triple F be canceled immediately and an investigation into their inhumane practices be instituted with utmost alacrity. Thank you for your time and consideration to this matter. Sincerest Regards, Your Full name, spelled out and signed CDC director PHONE and EMAIL: <http://directory.psc.gov/hhsdir/eeKey.asp?Key=7255> Writing to the FDA: FDA letter should be addressed and with proper salutation to Margaret Hamburg, M.D. U.S. Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Ave Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 FDA commissioner (top person's title in this case) EMAIL: <http://directory.psc.gov/hhsdir/eeKey.asp?Key=26222&Format=Table> Writing to NIH: NIH letter should be addressed and with proper salutation to Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. National Institutes of Health 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892 NIH director PHONE and EMAIL: <http://directory.psc.gov/hhsdir/eeKey.asp?Key=78453&Format=Table> Writing to the people that order the inspections for the USDA-APHIS in the Northeast: USDA Animal Care 920 Main Campus Drive Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27606 E-mail: [log in to unmask] Phone: (919) 855-7100 Fax: (919) 855-7123 Triple F's location & President Triple F Ferret Farm, Inc. Jack Fallenstein, President 3573 Vetter Rd. Sayre, PA 18840 P: 866-817-1756 P: 570-888-4874 Reference materials: USDA Official Inspection Report: Aug 23, 2011 <http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/CustomerSearch.jspx> From The PETA files: (Warning, extreme graphic and upsetting contents) Abuse, Death, at a ferret factory <http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2011/09/02/Abuse-and-Death-at-Ferret-Factory.aspx> Investigation Exposes Cruelty at Ferret Mill: Inside a Massive Ferret Breeding Facility - <http://www.peta.org/features/investigation-exposes-cruelty-at-ferret-mill.aspx> Investigator's Notes: <http://www.peta.org/features/investigator-notebook.aspx> USDA Report: Triple f farms customer number is 17976. enter that into the search box and click search. once the site brings up their info, click on the 'inspection information' tab to get to the actual reports. there are only a total of 12 reports that are viewable (going back to 2009). <http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/CustomerSearch.jspx> [Posted in FML 7189]