Clint-- Hi there! I take it from your note that you've managed to avoid the worst of the uproar over pet ferrets where you live. :) Sad to say that there are forever similar cases popping up all over the country, but some not quite so sensational or well-publicized. Kansas and the McDowell's home county did go a bit further than most, though. Ask any ferret lover from California about the lengths that the CFGD will go to.... I live in Texas, and the closest city is Ft. Worth. Ferrets are illegal (supposedly) in Ft. Worth, yet they are sold in pet stores there and animal control says that they'll return the animal to the owner with a small ($20) fine. I live in unincorporated Tarrant County, so I don't have any laws specifically making ferrets illegal, but neither are they specifically legal. In the city where my parents live (same county) ferrets are specifically legal. My sister lives in this same county, in a city between my home and my parents' home-- there ferrets are not only illegal, the animal control folks are known to kill them without asking questions or offering alternatives, and some of those guys have even been overheard in city hall BRAGGING about how they killed them some ferrets! GGRRRRR!! This is just what we face in ONE county here! The tactic taken on by the local ferret club here has been to take on cities one at a time, beginning in the smaller, more suburban ones rather than Ft. Worth or Dallas, and providing the city council with documentation showing the domesticity of ferrets, the availability of Imrab rabies vaccine as licensed by the USDA, and other information regarding their suitability as pets and low incidence of reported bites. Then ferret lovers begin attending the council meetings, getting speaking time on the agenda, and pushing to get ferrets recognized as companion pets with a valid legal status and animal control codes that help provide a little protection in the event of a bit case. In the past year to eighteen months, there have been incidents involving ferrets, most involving alleged bites, such that the ferret was killed for rabies testing regardless of circumstances and history of the animal in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York City, Minnesota, Virginia, Oregon, and now threatened in Kansas. Do not believe that your ferrets are safe from similar threats, as there is just too much contoversy at too many levels (state, county, local, in national health and veterinary organizations) regarding the domestic vs. wild issue, rabies risk, injury risk, etc. You might come up against the same problem the McDowells did in that one state agency (say Agriculture Dept.) says ferrets are domestic while another (likely the Health Dept.) says ferrets are wild, therefore a strong rabies risk requiring immediate destruction and testing of any ferret that has bitten someone. The point to all this is to encourage you to get involved with any local or state ferret group in your area and support their legalization efforts. If they aren't working toward that end, you could start something! Petitions might be useful at a city level when you are asking the council to get some laws on their books recognizing ferrets as domestic companion animals and specific codes for animal control's dealings with ferrets. The other place I can think of that you might find a petition useful would be in mailings to the state legislative representatives in your area-- show them that this is something that their constituants really are interested in! To stir up interest at the state level in these agencies, write letters and/or visit the offices of your state's health, wildlife/game, and agriculture offices. Ask about their classification of ferrets (Mustela furo) and what, if any codes, laws, or guidlelines apply to them. Ask for locations and verification details of any "wild populations" they claim. Ask for bite statistics on ferrets, and for comparison, cats and dogs. Ask for statistics regarding the number and results of ferrets that were destroyed and tested for rabies. Ask if the USDA licensing of IMRAB for ferrets is recognized by the state's ag and zoonosis offices. Contact organizations such as FURO, *STAR, AFA, LOS, and the CDFA for the documentation that you will need to support your efforts. Sorry if I sound a bit radical, it's not my intention, I just want what's best for my furry babies! The list of stuff above are just suggestions that will help to make a difference for ferrets and their safety from unreasonable demand and seizure. Best to you and your ferrets, Debra with Pixie, Shadow, and Laska Ferret Lover: Business Person [Posted in FML issue 0698]