Originally I was planning to post about our adventures/horrors of the 23 ferrets that we rescued from London Ontario in a day or two after we knew all of the babies had survived and everyone involved had calmed down enough to get a proper nights sleep. New Years day a crew of 8 concerned ferret owners drove up to the London SPCA to rescue any of the babies that were still alive. My biggest dread was that we may be too late, our New Years Eve hit temperatures of -15C not counting the wind chill factors. We were escorted to the Junk Yard where these ferrets were kept in plywood boxes on the ground (most buried in snow). The ferrets were kept in 3 separate pens surrounding the property cesspool as explain by the SPCA. A group of us were directed to a "box" at the far end of the pool, at first it appeared empty. We finally found a hatch that allowed us to see the babies for the first time. They were huddled together using each others body heat to stay alive. There was no water anywhere in the box, and the only food available was a pile of goat chow that had been placed in there for the ferrets to eat. With team work we were able to remove 23 ferrets back to the London SPCA office, unfortunately 4 babies "escaped" before we arrived at the site ( I pray that they are alive somewhere where they can get help). The next stage of the rescue was executed like a well planned dance. At the office the babies were given their first water in who knows how long, fed food that they could actually digest, given their first distemper shot by the shelter veterinarian, sexed, checked for immediate medical care, nails clipped and hugged. Only with the team work of all involved (thanks to the orchestration of the ferret aid society) we were able to migrate all these sweet hearts from a life of fear and desperation to one of contentment in so short a time. The atmosphere at the shelter was amazing, all of a sudden every baby knew it was safe and comfortable....a feeling a peace permeated the entire room. At this stage I would like to give a huge thankyou to the PetSmart in Missasauga. The babies are from a completely unknown environment, the last thing any of us wanted to do was risk the fuzzies that we currently have (as each of us own our own ferts and love them with all of our hearts). Thanks to the generous offer of PetSmart, we were given use of their entire adoption centre to house these sweethearts while the are checked by our vets. This way we do not risk introducing any possible diseases between existing and new ferrets. With continuing team work we have had at least 3 experienced ferrets owners with these ferrets at all times. Our main concerns right now is nutrition. Every baby came to us bloated due to "poor" nutrition and all their canines have been chopped (some up to the root) so we have to ensure that all are able to eat, drink, and poop. I am happy to say all seem to be coming around very well (and I have never been kissed soooo many times in my life by happy ferrets). Another thing that has been incredible is the support that has been generated for these babies. We appeared on 2 different TV stations and were mentioned on at least 3 different radio stations. Petsmart has been filled all day with loving people all interesting in giving a ferret a good home. I personally have not seen any of the news reports, however I have "educated" so many people in the last day about the joys and hazards of ferret love that I know we made a difference for all ferret kind. It is our hope (and thanks to Petsmart and the Media attention I believe it maybe possible) that every single ferret can be placed in a truly loving household that are looking for a lifetime companion. The last few days have been chaotic and we are not done yet, there is still lots to do to hopefully ensure these babies have the happy full life that every animal on this planet should have. I will continue to post as to the ferrets progress. Thank you for the support everywhere in the world and team work that is helping each and every one of these poor ferrets. Paige Townsend [Posted in FML issue 2176]