Colin - ferrets are illegal to own in the District of Columbia. There have been several efforts to reverse this ordinance, passed as "midnight legislation" during an anti-rabies campaign in the early '80s. It could be handled with appropriate tactics. BTW, once a pet ferret is captured by animal control in DC, it is impossible to get it back. They have even been known to run sting operations on ferret owners. <Chip> [Posted in FML issue 0334]