Hi Manfred and Deb, I read your posts on the FML this morning and couldn't help but see your side of the issues. It sounds like you're frustrated that you haven't been given a chance to help with the London ferret rescue. That's understandable -- you're right there in the area, able to help, and it looks like someone from out of town comes in, takes over, and suddenly you're left out in the cold, wanting to help, and having everything pulled out from under you. Since your post yesterday a lot has happened, and you may want to talk to Randy again about adopting the farm ferrets out to your friends in the London area. She's had time to rest (she'd had maybe a few hours sleep over the course of the three days before we went to London) and put things in better perspective. A group of us at the shelter last night spoke with Randy and at that point she had reached the realization that it would be better to adopt as many ferrets out in Canada as possible, and only send ferrets to the States if there was no home available for them in the "Greater Ontario area". You may find that those fourteen ferrets aren't getting shipped over the border after all, and that the initial "threat" to send them over the border before looking for homes here in Canada was just a hasty decision made while emotions were running high. In situations like this one, where someone is mistreating animals, there are a lot of snap decisions made. There are also a lot of words spoken in anger and in haste. In both situations, the only way things can work out out later is to step back, reassess what's gone on, and move forward from there. That said, I would encourage you again to contact Randy about adopting out the ferrets to your friends. I think that you'll find her much more amenable to the idea now that she's had a chance to rest and the animals are safe indoors. Kind regards, Kate Adlers Toronto Internet Ferret Group [Posted in FML issue 2176]