THE AMERICAN FERRET ASSOCIATION Press Release June 5, 1997 Contact: Dr. Armand Weiss 1-888-FERRET-1 MICHIGAN GOVERNOR URGED TO STAY EXECUTION OF FAMILY PET AFA STRONGLY PROTESTS IRRATIONAL EXECUTION The American Ferret Association (AFA), the Great Lakes Ferret Association, Massachusetts Ferret Friends and numerous other ferret groups across the country urge concerned pet owners to contact Governor John Engler by telephone (517-335-7858 or 335-3400) or by fax (517-335-6949 or 335-6863) to stay the execution of Kodo, a pet ferret, for rabies testing. Now after more than a month of court hearings, Kodo's fate, the pet of the Jacobs family of Saginaw, Michigan, hangs in the balance. As of 3 p.m. Monday, June 9 -- the date set by Judge Carpathe of Bay County, Michigan -- Kodo is to be destroyed by the state, despite the animal's negative history for exposure, lack of any physical signs of disease during its more than 30-day quarantine period, and the fact that the animal is up to date on its rabies shots. With only a few days left, the campaign to spare the life of one family's pet ferret from an unconscionable court-ordered death sentence is being waged on many fronts. Concerned ferret owners in other states have been writing letters and faxes, and staging rallies. Although the state claims that somehow this ferret's bite could pose a rabies risk, Freddie Ann Hoffman, M.D., vice president of the AFA and a health policy analyst, states, "Rabies is not a `spontaneously' generated disease. This case represents a complete misinterpretation of the available information in assessing the rabies risk and a biased use of the available scientific information. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that rabies is one of the least likely diseases one could contract in the United States_less likely than your chances of getting polio from the polio vaccine, which is required of school children, and much much less likely than your chances of being struck by lightning. Indeed, I am unaware of any record of a case where a ferret has transmitted rabies to a person or animal. The conclusion reached by this state's health department sets a dangerous precedent for health policy throughout the country, since it would be acting on a level of concern which for all intents and purposes is a risk level of zero." Kodo's court-ordered death penalty represents a lot more than the unnecessary killing of one family's pet. It is whether or not the public health community can continue to burn up public resources in support policies of holding pet ferrets to unscientific standards far higher than any other domestic animal. Again, concerned pet owners should contact the Governor's office: Governor John Engler, State Capital, Lansing, MI 48933. [Posted in FML issue 1959]