I just talked to the State Virologist (sp?) for Alaska. Their policy concerning rabies is kill and test, no quarantine, no nothing. If a bite occurs, kill and test; don't take into account the animal's health or vaccination record, kill and test. Apparently, they rely on the Veterinary Compendium (the Virologist just kept referring to it as "The Compendium") to determine what to do with ferrets. He said the Compendium currently recommends kill and test. He also said that vaccination is no proof against rabies. He said that since there had been "many cases of a ferret attacking babies and small children, ferrets were a cause for concern in Alaska." I asked him if he could give me some numbers on the "many" cases and he said no, that he couldn't remember how many cases there were of ferrets attacking babies or children. He also said that he thought the problems were with the people who owned the ferrets and not the ferrets themselves. He believed that educating people about how to take care of ferrets and what to expect of them would be very beneficial. Anyway, he also believes that the October edition of The Compendium would have new information about ferrets and rabies along with recommendations for quarantine periods, etc. My veterinarian here in Eugene, OR said that there is a new rabies test from France that tests serum for antibodies and that the test is being used in Hawaii, the state with the strictest requirements for animals in the United States. This test does not require brain tissue, therefore, the animal does not have to be killed to be tested. If Hawaii is using this test, maybe it should be recommended everywhere. On the subject of a national ferret organization, count me in! I'll be in Alaska for two years, but will be very happy to do what I can from there. While I think there may be many, many more qualified people to serve, so many don't have the time to put into something like this. I'll have plenty of time, especially in the winter! I do desktop publishing, so if anything needs typesetting, I can do that. I have also done extensive editing on documents, so if something needs to be proofread, I can do that as well. So, if you need me, just e-mail me and I'll do what I can! Melanee Ellis The Ferret Lady Eugene, OR (till June 26) Juneau, AK (after June 26) [Posted in FML issue 1977]