I sent off an e-mail to the Zoo Educators. If you would care to do the same, here is their address. [log in to unmask] After encouraging removal of the wood shavings, (with an explanantion as to their harmfulness) I pointed out that there is little truth to the idea that should these ferrets escape to the wild (even tho they also tell us ferrets have been domesticated for 2,000 years or so) they will destroy the ecological and environmental balance if they were to escape. By the time this guy got done talking about the havoc they would reap, I had visions of ferrets taking down large deer and Buffalo. Are there Buffalo in Hawaii? I also spent a summer at a zoo working with exotic birds like Zazu in the Lion King, a King Vulture, an emotionally traumatized African Gray and a crazy cockatiel. Stupidy must have been the key requirement for the person hired to run this summer program - which never did get off the ground. It's failure was due to the lack of understanding that these "hand me down birds" _ the Zoo got hem free because they had been neglected, kept them in a room that echoed many loud noises which simply increased thier issues and tried to put them in a public program when the weather was not suitable or safe for their proper enviromental conditons. So, when the guy says, we here at the Zoo are trained to take care of the animals.....it does not immediately fill me iwth comfort. Trained, does not always mean trained well or trained with accurate information as we see here. I think a few nice educational e-mails from the ferret community might open their eyes. Or at least encourage then to change their wood shavings to something healthier. Cathy Today is the best day to do a good deed. Feed rescued animals in two clicks http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3 [Posted in FML 8063]