LegalizeFerrets.org • PO Box 1480 • La Mesa, CA 91944 • 619-303-0645 • CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org

Dear Candidate –This might seem like a joke issue to the uninitiated; and sure, we understand the opportunity for humor this subject elicits, but California ferret lovers are understandably tired of our state’s pretty much unique ferret ban.

Eric Sklar, president of the Fish and Game Commission said personally he doesn’t care if people have ferrets or not. “But it’s more complicated than you know…The Commission can’t act on legalization because we’d be sued by ‘the environmentalists’”. We’d all spend lots of money and they’d still be illegal. “Get a legislator” was his final comment.

And we tried. But few would even return our calls or emails. Finally, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez took up our cause. But his office reported back, after contacting Governor Jerry Brown, that;

The reason this bill has not gone forward in years past is Governor Brown has said he would VETO the bill upon arrival to his desk. Apparently, members in the past sessions have approached the subject and received the same line from the Governor.

And so, 2018; like the 14 years before it, saw no ferret legalization legislation.

But Jerry Brown won’t be governor much longer.

And as a new crop of voters arrive, who seem to know what ferrets are, we hope a new crop of legislators will be open to introducing and passing ferret legalization legislation.

No one seems to have anything against ferrets. It’s just too trivial an issue for most and ferret owners aren’t exactly an empowered special interest group.

And the old guard, following the 1980’s position of the Sierra Club and other worthy but ignorant environmental groups are fading away.

We hope with the increased frustration in government we can find those candidates for our state legislature who are willing to do the right thing and respect our rights to the domestic pet of our choice.

We hope you will be just a little bit bold, go where no legislator has gone since 2004, and introduce a ferret legalization bill.

After all, there is nothing like a ferret.

2018 Let’s Change a Bad Law

www.LEGALIZEFERRETs.org

On October 10th last year the California Fish and Game Commission responded to our request that they remove ferrets from the

prohibited species list.

There were two objections recently stated by Fish and Game Staff to removing ferrets from the prohibited species list:

Staff recommends denying the petition. Given that the proposed action would effectively eliminate the Commission’s authority to regulate ferrets, …Regarding potential impacts to wildlife populations, the report finds that while the establishment of feral colonies is highly improbable, there is a remote possibility that escaped ferrets might do significant damage to wildlife...We then asked them to simply issue permits for ferrets as they had done prior to 1985 for neutered male ferrets. A few days prior to the meeting, Fish and Game wildlife research staff published their recommendations:

Short Description | Staff RecommendationsRequests FGC issue permits for ferrets under certain circumstances.

Deny: FGC has previously indicated that it will not authorize wild animals to be possessed as pets.When this was presented to the audience at their meeting, the room broke into laughter. The idea of ferrets as wild animals was absurd to most people in the room.A few days later Eric Sklar, the President of the Fish and Game Commission called LegalizeFerrets.org.He explained that their hands are tied on ferrets because it would require a full-blown EIR. He said that we would have to pay $200,000 but when all finished it would be $600,000.And afterwards the Commission would be sued by environmental groups opposing it. (Is he calling the California Waterfowl Association an Environmental group?).He said that is a position that neither they nor us wish to be in.Our best option he said is to find a legislator. I explained the past futility of our efforts. ■

Yes, we knowferrets aren’twild animals.

No Luck with the California Fish and Game Commission

LegalizeFerrets.org • PO Box 1480 • La Mesa, CA 91944 • 619-303-0645 • CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org

Which Came First – F&G Opposes Ferret legalization because of the Sierra Club OR

the Sierra Club opposes ferret legalization because of Fish and Game?

The frustrating part is the Sierra Club has no documentation or research and will not revisit their position. We have to acknowledge that the Sierra Club does have more members and more clout than the beleaguered ferret lovers of California. ■

No, domestic ferrets are not wild animals! California ferret owners have faced many obstacles over the years and one of the most frustrating is having a domestic ferret called a wild animal — by the “experts”. Talk about an oxymoron!

Referring to the Sierra Club’sopposition to ferret legalization.

Trying to be in accordance with theCalifornia Fish and Game Commission.

FROM: California Fish and Game CommissionFROM: California Sierra Club

Short Description

Requests FGC issue permits for ferrets under certain circumstances.

Staff Recommendations

Deny: FGC has previously indicated that it will not authorize wild animals to be possessed as pets.

“Sierra Club has long opposed holding wild animals as pets, but particularly when those animals could present a problem if they accidentally or intentionally are introduced into the state’s natural areas. There are many, many examples of exotic critters that have become problems in California after being introduced into the wild. One that I am very familiar with is the bull frog, which has helped push out other amphibian species in certain habitats since its introduction in the 19th century. –Kathryn Phillips <kathryn.phillips@sierraclub.org>”

Why are Ferrets Illegal in Californiain the First Place?

In 1933 the state of California placed all

members of the Mustelidae family on

the wild (and thus prohibited) species

list. Domestic ferrets are in that family.

Back then, ferrets were not popular as

pets and nobody cared.

!By Michael Gardner

COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

September 29, 2004

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared the screen with a ferret, but he’s apparently not ready yet to share the state with them.

Schwarzenegger’s veto of amnesty legislation Wednesday means as many as 500,000 California ferrets will remain on the lam, still fugitives after 70 years.

“I love ferrets. I co-starred with a ferret in ‘Kindergarten Cop,’” Schwarzenegger insisted in his veto message. “However, this bill is too bureaucratic and it legalizes ferrets prior to conducting an environmental impact report.”

The legislation, SB 89 by Sen. Dede Alpert, D-San Diego, would have granted amnesty under limited conditions to ferrets already in California. A $75 license fee would have been dedicated to a study of whether ferrets pose any danger.

LegalizeFerrets.org • PO Box 1480 • La Mesa, CA 91944 • 619-303-0645 • CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org

T he ferret has been a domesticated animal for 5000 years. Sketches and paintings, and even bodies, of ferrets

have been found in numerous Egyptian burial

sites. They have been used for rabbit and rodent hunting, both out of necessity and for sport. Queen Victoria of England presented visiting royalty with ferrets as gifts. Despite this lengthy existence with close proximity to humans, there are still many myths and fallacies surrounding ferrets in general, and especially with reference to them as pets.

Ferrets are not rodents, and statistically are no more likely to bite humans than dogs or cats. They are members of the Mustelidae family, which classifies them with weasels, mink, ermine, martens, skunks, badgers, otters, wolverine, and the black-footed ferret. They share many of the physical traits of their family, including scent glands; however, they lack the muscle mass and wild instincts of their feral relatives. Males tend to weigh 2 - 31/2 pounds,

while the females are significantly smaller, weighing 1 - 21/4 pounds. They come in two basic color groups: sable and white. Within the sable group, there are the derivatives of chocolate, cinnamon, champagne, silver mitt, and black, while

the white group also contains albino and black-eyed whites.

Breeding females are called "Jills" and spayed females are called "Sprites," while breeding males are called "Hobs" and neutered males are called "Gibs." Ferret offspring are called "Kits," whether male or female. In the wild, the breeding cycle of Jills and Hobs is dictated by temperature and length of daylight. The gestation period of a Jill is approximately 6 weeks and usually results in 5-8 Kits. The Kits are weaned between 6 and 8 weeks. The Jill then needs to be bred again, if she isn't, she will remain in heat and will eventually die from aplastic anemia. Therefore, if a Jill is going to be kept as a family pet, she needs to be spayed between 5 and 7 months of age.

The average lifespan of a ferret is 5 to 7 years; sometimes one will live as long as 10.

As pets, they are extremely social, intelligent creatures who love to engage in sometimes rambunctious play, whether with humans or other ferrets.

They then will sleep so soundly that they are often mistaken for dead, which they do from 15 to 20 hours a day! They love to steal "treasures," from socks to bits of aluminum foil. They can be litter trained, taught their names, and taken for walks using a harness and leash.

In conclusion, ferrets are not "wild animals" but long-

domesticated creatures.Although they may differ from cats and dogs, with a little knowledge and understanding, they can be just as rewarding, providing a companion- ship that will be filled with fun and excitement.

[Courtesy of Ferrets.com]

What is a Ferret?

LegalizeFerrets.org • PO Box 1480 • La Mesa, CA 91944 • 619-303-0645 • CLIFFNotes@legalizeferrets.org