On August 3rd, three ferret owners addressed the California Fish and Game Commission during the public comments period. Jeremy Trimm, Dr. Richard Smith and Christine Newman all made one point very clear.

The Fish and Game Commission has put ferret owners in a legal Catch-22.

Back in 2000, the Fish and Game Commission told ferret proponents that in order for them to consider legalizing the domestic ferret in California, they (the proponents) would need to fund an Environmental Impact Report.

11 years later, a preliminary EIR was produced by Dr. Geo Graening at Sacramento State University. The Fish and Game Commissioners at first refused to accept it.

Even after they did, they objected with, “You don’t have a CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) checklist.” This document had been prepared and presented months earlier. It was again presented to the Commission after this objection.

Sonke Mastrup, the Deputy Director of the Department of Fish and Game, responded with, “No reason to review the document until the Commissioners decide to ‘go to notice.’”

A separate response was, “We can’t go to notice until we review the documents.”

Catch-22.

I sent an email to Mr. Mastrup on July 21st:

Can you give us any updates? Our offer to pay for staff time stands (though don’t run up our bill until we have $ on hand, we’re about as solvent as the state of California!)

It does appear we are in a catch-22:

They won’t go to notice until they research the document.

They won’t research the document until they go to notice.

Thank you for any help.

Mr. Mastrup responded with: We are in such a situation. Perhaps an independent review could help. I will ask around.

Once more we go in front of the California Fish and Game Commissioners. Every six weeks or so they hold meetings and have a public comments period. This is the average citizen’s opportunity to address the Commission.

About the only response we get is, “Your time is up.”

When asked a simple question – “What more can we do?” The silence is deafening. They won’t even acknowledge the question anymore.

Imagine you have a grievance with the government. Perhaps a Commission appointed by the Governor. You present all the facts, you cover your bases, and you spend private money – but you don’t get an answer. Nothing. Stony silence.

We’re not just upset with the Commissioners. We’re upset with our leaders.

We collected 500 signatures outside a PetSmart in Santee, home of newly elected Assemblyman Brian Jones, back in January. A local news station covered our efforts. “Please Assemblyman Jones,” we begged, “Introduce a ferret legalization bill.”

We never heard from Assemblyman Jones. We heard on the news that night that our Assemblyman had other issues on his plate. We didn’t get a phone call, email or postcard. Our elected official ignored us.

A few months later, we collected thousands of signatures at the Orange County Pet Expo. We sent these signatures to Governor Jerry Brown. We’ve heard nothing back.

The most we ever got was a tweet from Sutter Brown, the governor’s pet corgi: “Geesh, ferrets? I think they’ve been trying 2 legalize in CA since last time dad was gov!”

Ferrets are not a burning issue – unless of course you have them in California. Then you can’t get a security clearance. You can’t be a foster parent. You have to be on guard at work every day.

And you certainly can’t take your pet ferret out in public. Even though a million other pet owners can!

We have documented, unbiased research showing all the concerns expressed by the Department and Commission of Fish and Game are baseless.

Ferrets are legal in 48 states. California has more ferrets than the next two states combined. What kinds of problems do we hear from those other states? None.

Not only is their stance ridiculous, the way Fish and Game treats us is disgraceful. This is not how a healthy society operates. People should have the ability to address their leaders, and be treated with dignity and respect.

The California Fish and Game Commissioners have not done that. Their treatment of California ferret enthusiasts should not be tolerated. For the health of our society, for the well being of our people, something needs to be done.

Pat Wright
LegalizeFerrets.org .

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Media Contact:
Pat Wright
LegalizeFerrets.org
PO Box 3395
San Diego, CA 92163
Phone: 619-303-0645
Email: CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org .
www.legalizeferrets.org .

News Source: LegalizeFerrets.org :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

About 100 California ferret enthusiasts are meeting at the Holiday Inn in Concord right after a new research study has been released by Sacramento State University on the issue of ferret legalization in California. The gathering is known as “Legalize Ferrets Revival” organized by legalizeferrets.org.

This research – posted on-line at http://ferretsanon.com/EIR/Final_Report.pdf was recommended by our consultant as necessary for a successful outcome to a future Environmental Impact Report and has taken a year to complete. The next step is for the California Fish and Game Commission to file a notice of preparation and seek bids on the EIR.

Both the California Fish and Game Commission and Governor Schwarzenegger have called for an Environmental Impact Report before they would consider ferret legalization in California, one of two states to ban them (Hawaii being the other).

California ferret lovers are hoping Governor Schwarzenegger will fulfill his campaign promise and legalize ferrets before he leaves office. While running for Governor the first time he told multiple ferret enthusiasts he would sign any ferret bill that came to his desk but sadly he vetoed a ferret amnesty bill in September 2004. We’d like to offer him a chance to make good on his earlier campaign promise.

The new research outlines what we already know:

California does not appear to meet the requirements needed for establishment of feral populations of ferrets partly due to the presence of much more effective predators already.

41 States and 2 Provinces responded that it was not considered important to assess the status of domesticated ferrets in the wild. Why is that? Because they aren’t there.

Ferrets are domesticated and should not be banned or regulated by a wildlife agency. They are being held to a standard no other domesticated animal meets. The effort to legalize ferrets in California has gone on long enough. We know ferrets are already in the state in large numbers and none of the negative effects have happened – which means the best environmental study on ferrets has already been done – and they passed with flying colors.

The event also will include filming for a documentary by Todd Dayton of Fallout Pictures. His documentary should add the human and ferret faces necessary to complete the picture after the dry and non-personal research from Sac State Univ.

Speakers Include:
* Melinda T – What every first time ferret owner can expect.
* Doris Gentry – How a Politician Views the Ferret Issue.
* Bob Church – How Does Your Ferret Think?
* Jeanne Carley – World’s Leading Ferret Photographer.
* Dr Rene Gandolfi – Things You Probably Don’t Know About Ferret Health.
* Bob Church – “What about those New Zealand Ferrets?”

Press Conference – Where:
Holiday Inn Concord
1050 Burnett Ave., Concord, CA 94520.
Cabana Rooms 1 & 2.
Time: 12 p.m.

Full details at http://ferretsanon.com/LegalizeFerretsRevival2010.html .

For more information please contact Pat Wright at 619-303-0645 or cell 619-757-7426.

* RSS Feed for LegalizeFerrets:
http://send2pressnewswire.com/topics/legalizeferrets/feed .

LegalizeFerrets.org, PO Box 3395, San Diego, CA 92163. www.legalizeferrets.org .

Plain text copy of press release (and media contact)

PDF copy of press release (and media contact)


STORY REFERENCES: Ferret Lovers to Meet in Concord as New Ferret Research is Released from Sacramento State University, Legalize Ferrets Revival, LegalizeFerrets, California Ferrets Anonymous, Environmental Impact Report, California Fish and Game Commission, Pat Wright, press conference, gathering, political action, law, ban, legal, ballot

But the Governor blocked ferret legalization, when he vetoed the Ferret Amnesty Bill (9/30/2004). Schwarzenegger said: “I love ferrets. I co-starred with a ferret in Kindergarten Cop. However, this bill is too bureaucratic and it legalizes ferrets prior to conducting an environmental impact report.”

The requested Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is nearly complete, and the evidence clear. Leading SSU researcher, G. O. Graening PhD, reports: “None of the questionnaires, [which were sent to] every wildlife agency, health department, and agricultural department in the 50 U.S. states and Canadian Provinces, received to date have documented the establishment of any feral breeding populations, or negative interactions with wildlife, or significant impacts on human health or safety.”

The political climate surrounding ferret legalization puts the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) at center stage. The DFG has gone to great lengths to resist ferret legalization, by identifying domestic ferrets as “wild animals.” That’s like saying your Yorkie dog is dangerous because his origins trace back to the wolf family.

The DFG has gone so far as to invent a subgroup of ferrets that do not even exist, which they call: “Free-roaming domestic ferrets.” According to the DFG, these “free-roaming domestic ferrets” are dangerous to poultry and infants. However, no “free-ranging domestic ferrets” have ever been documented, as confirmed by SSU’s current findings. This false logic has been perpetuated by the DFG since 1933.

Let’s face facts too: Ferrets live in the homes of over 100,000 Californians. California’s vets are allowed by law to treat pet ferrets. However, the climate of illegality undermines access to proper care.

Castro Valley Vet Rene C. Gandolfi said: “I have been treating ferrets here in California for over twenty years. In that time I’ve seen all sorts of problems resulting from the ban on ownership.” Ferret owners delay treatment or must travel vast distances to get veterinary help, according to Gandolfi. “I’ve seen pet owners traveling hundreds of miles to find a veterinarian who was willing to see them. In a couple of severe emergency cases , ferret owners had to make hour long trips to see us because they couldn’t be seen at a vet closer to home. That’s like making a human drive to Sacramento to get to the ER after having a heart attack in San Francisco.”

Gandolfi explains why the CVMA backs ferret legalization: “It is bad medicine and bad public health policy to have a pet species that isn’t receiving regular and competent veterinary care.”

Gandolfi dismissed suggestions that ferrets are dangerous to humans: “For over two decades we have been providing veterinary medical and surgical services for ferret owners. I have yet to meet a ferret that I felt posed a significant danger to any humans who might handle it. I have often told my staff that I am more concerned about being bitten by a hamster than by a ferret.” Gandolfi explained that the dangers he sees are not due to ferrets, but to the fearful and unsafe legal climate. Ferret owners are “constantly worried that their cherished companion will be confiscated.”

Inadequate access to medical care stands at odds with the reality of widespread ferret ownership in California. A leading pet industry trade group confirms that 27% of the nation’s ferret supplies are purchased in California.

Owning ferrets is legal in 48 other states. veterinarians, scientists, elected officials and pet owners have effectively advocated for legalizing ferret ownership. The Governor’s questions have been answered by the EIR. Encourage the Governor and your representatives to support the Ferret Amnesty Bill, and enable sound scientific reason to trump politics once and for all in the ferret debate. Ferret owners have waited long enough: its past time to overturn the 1933 ferret ban.

About Ferrets Anonymous:

Pat Wright founded Ferrets Anonymous in 1993 and LegalizeFerrets.org in 2005. He can be reached at 619-303-0645 or cell (619) 757-7426 or by email at CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org . More information: www.legalizeferrets.org .

Additional links related to above text:

- EIR link:
http://www.ferretsanon.com/EIR/1st_Quarter_Report.pdf .

- 1933 law link:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/nuis_exo/ferret/ferret_issues_4.html#CA1933 .

- Poultry link:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/nuis_exo/ferret/ferret_issues_4.html#Poultry .

- Infants link:
http://www.animallaw.info/cases/causca2003lexis8091.htm .

News Source: LegalizeFerrets :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.