I have been reading about the wee ones that have been destroyed in New Jersey. This is so upsetting. I can't actually believe that a ferret owner would take such drastic steps because of a little bite. Years ago I worked at the University of Penn. Division of Lab animal medicine. I was a caretaker. That means I fed and watered them, checked all the animals for signs of disease and treated them accordingly. I made sure they were as comfortable as they could possibly be. ( It was very hard on the emotions, so I did eventually leave the Job. Please don't flame me.) Anyway we had certain protocals to follow if an animal escaped. One room was full of ferrets that were being studied for Rabies. They all had it!!!!!. One got out and was running around the room. I watched big men refuse to touch the creature out of fear. You would think the devil himself was unleashed in that room! Finally I walked over and just picked the little guy up and put him back. It didn't bite me and I wasn't afraid. When people hear the word "Rabies" they panic. There are treatments out there now for Rabies!!!!!! I watched a show the other week that showed a little girl (I think she was about eight years old.) and she was bitten by a baby BEAR!!! When she learned that the bear would have to killed to test it for rabies, she offered to take the series of shots so the bear would be spared! I hope the guy that was bitten by the ferret hears this story. Just think some big "Man" forcing little creatures to be killed because he was bitten. It turns my stomach. Sounds like some sort of power trip to me. As for New Jersey, they offer free rabies shots for domestic cats and dogs, but they don't offer them for ferrets. Since ferrets are sold in the state legally, and the state is so rabies concerned, I think the ferrets rabies shots should be offered also. Margo "Come away oh human child To the waters and the wild With a faery hand in hand For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand." -Yeats [Posted in FML issue 1600]