Show in Stockholm Friday-Sunday this week, the Stockholm chapter of the Swedish Ferret Society has as i usual this time of year, participated in a general animal show (tiny horses, sheep, doves, rabbits, cats, dogs, rats &c) and for the first time I was there to help yesterday. I dare say that our participation was a success, as there were almost all the time lots of people. As apart from example the cats, which were kept in cages with DO NOT TOUCH signs, everyone who stopped by us who wanted to hold a ferret could do so. A real smash hit with both the very small and not so small children. Sadly I realised it's almost useless to preach to the already converted. Most visitors were of course interested in and likes animals, so at worst a few sceptical ones asked "Don't they bite?" which of course results in the answer "Of course they aren't allowed to!" whereupon the visitors usually wanted to handle them, or at least touch them. With the notable exception of the reporter from the national TV broadcasting company. The photographer took a few close up scenes of some of our ferrets, but the reporter refused to consider that ferrets even can be pets at all. Didn't want to speak to anyone of us either. :-( Plasmacytosis In connection with some people here in Sweden importing ferrets from the UK, some vioces have been raised saying that that's not a good idea, since plasmacytosis (Aleutian disease) is common in the UK. Does anyone know if there's a good reason for this opinion; Is it really common among pet ferrets in the UK, or is the situation like here in Sweden: It does occur among farmed minks but as far as we know not among pets? -- Urban Fredriksson [log in to unmask] Pictures of my ferrets; Text and pictures of Swedish railways and aviation: http://www.ki.icl.se/urf/urf.htm [Posted in FML issue 1067]