I just wanted to point out that unlike other places where ferrets are
illegal in the United States, Hawaii has a sensitive island ecosystem
where animals like ferrets could -- at least conceivably -- actually
wreak havoc on the ecosystem if they were to get loose and breed.

I am aware that this is not the case in the rest of the U.S., where
they have never been known to do that. However, again the Hawaiian
ecosystem is particularly sensitive and it is likely that ferrets would
have few if any natural enemies. It has happened with other animals
before in Hawaii, and it can be quite amazing what a seemingly harmless
"invasive" species can do when it is in an ecosystem that has not had
a chance to adapt to its presence.

There *IS* a case of domestic ferrets breeding in the wild and causing
problems. That case is New Zealand, which is of course another island
ecosystem, and in that particular case, there were no natural predators
to compete with the ferrets or keep them in check. The New Zealand
ferrets did in fact cause quite a lot of trouble.

So while we can enjoy knowing that ferrets are "safe" and relatively
harmless animals here on the mainland, Hawaii does not necessarily
enjoy the same circumstances. Hawaiians have good reason to be
extremely cautious about introducing new species, especially predators.

Lonny Eachus

[Posted in FML 8064]