OK, I saw the Northern Exposure episode, and here's what I remember: The ferret ("Mr. Brown") was not portrayed as viscious or feral or anything; he was a children's pet. The most malicious thing he did was hide under a couch and eat hors d'ouvres (which is pretty accurate behavior, in my experience! :-)). He lived with a wealthy family in a Manhattan penthouse apartment. At one point, he comes out during a party and frightens the guests because they don't know what he is or whether he'll bite. They're threatening him, and Ed picks him up and cradles him. Then the infamous line: "this animal shouldn't be here. It should be in the wild, where it belongs" (or something to that effect). Ed spends the rest of the episode cradling the ferret. As far as I noticed, the ferret didn't make any noise at all. I think it would be good to write to the network to let them know about ferrets' inability to survive in the wild. We should also make sure to mention why it is important that the myth of their wildness is not spread further (i.e., because of the continuing struggle to disillusion Fish and Game in the places where they're illegal). But as possible portrayals go, this one wasn't bad. "Mr. Brown" acted normally and wasn't presented as a scary or fierce animal. Incidentally, aren't ferrets illegal in NYC (where this episode was based)? --Sarah "Life is short; live it up." --Krushchev [Posted in FML issue 0960]