In regard to PETA not supporting ferret ownership: I have TALKED with PETA, after I was mistakenly given a tempassignment sorry- a Temp assignment in an animal testing lab ((((AAAAAAAAAAGGH-- not a place for a vegetarian ferret lover!! aggggghhh))) My temp company simply didn't know where I stood. Anyway, without getting into politics, I am fairly sure this is where PETA stands: They do NOT support BUYING animals, especially from pet stores. I agree with this. Pet stores usually take AWFUL care of ferrets- cedar chips & fish tanks & unhealthy food & little attention. Plus, pet stores don't care who buys the ferrets and if they will take care of them.. I frequently visit pet stores- in NY, CT, and now here in NC. They simply DON'T CARE about the animals after they leave the shop. on the other hand, I am ALMOST POOSITIVE that PETA supports ADOPTING animals (including ferrets) from shelters. This makes sense- help a needy animal get the care s/he needs. MAny PETA people have "pets" but they are treated as many of the people on this list reat their ferrets-- with infinite love and "careful freedom." Please understand that many of the people who support PETA are NOT violent; on the contrary- most love their animals more than they love almost everything. Many love all animals in general more than they love people. Most, I think, just want people to resepct respect all animals. This means don't ignore your pets, don't eat or use products that were obtained from methods that caused suffering, and so on. I'm a vegetarian, but I don't attack people who wear fur or leather... I would, however, get extremely upset if I saw someone mistreating an animal, especially a ferret. There is, you all should know, a lot of pharmeceutical and cosmetic testing that is done on ferrets. THAT is why I joined PETA- because they're trying to do something to keep their suffering to an absolute minimum. <sigh.> Please don't flame me--- I've had plenty of it, and it's undeserved. Andrea [Andrea, PETA has stated that they are officially against pet ownership of any kind. If they had their way, no-one could have a pet. They also believe that all animals belong in the wild, regardless of whether the animal is actually a wild species or not. If the animal cannot survive in the wild, they believe it is natural and "right" that they become extinct. The above statements were made directly by the executive of PETA, in _Harpers_ I believe - someone more knowledgeable than I will have the exact citation. I have read portions of the original articles, but didn't save them. Yes, PETA is against animal experimentation. There is nothing wrong with that. But PETA is also completely opposed to any other "use" of animals, including pets/companion animals. Regardless of their stance on experimentation, they are *not* an ally of the FML or efforts to legalize ferrets in FFZs.] [Posted in FML issue 0795]