Several years ago I was very involved in keeping a parrot. This experience showed me how many stupid people there were with money. I watched two young upwardly mobile professionals try to decide between two different parrots ( a cockatoo and a macaw) each of which could live more than 50 years. These birds have vastly different requirements and personalities. The criteria used for choosing the bird? Which one would match the wall paper best. The bird lists are full of people who buy $1000 to $2500 pets with no idea how to care for them. Licensing the ferrets is not the solution. A little more money will not cause education. The desire to understand and provide the best for your pet can not be motivated by money. This is a sensitivity ("respect for all living things") some are born with, some people have been taught. Others learn it on their own. No one learns it because they have spent a $5.00 license fee. Bruce R. Voorhees Senior Engineer SCH Technologies 895 Central Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Phone: 888-SCH-OPEN Fax: 513-579-1064 [Posted in FML issue 2839]