Poink has been significantly modified over the years

Regular Funday PawPet Show cast member Poink T. Ferret has been put up for auction by his owner, Jackrabbit.^[1][2]

The pawpet - originally a Folkmanis design - has been modified over the years to include balloons, ping-pong balls, and red LED eyes. He was shaved by Uncle Kage during its last visit to Anthrocon, and currently wears hair implants.

The final bid was $237.50. Shipping costs were not specified.

Mustelidae and lovers of mustelidae rejoice! Instead of severely cutting back the Fish & Wildlife Service's Black-Footed Ferret breeding program, enough public comment was generated that the program has been fully funded for this fiscal year, including a move to Fort Collins, CO. from Casper WY.

Check out http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/08/27/news/wyoming/243ec0663ee6f2628725706a000144dd.txt
It's the second story from the top.

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.

You can find more here.

- WhiteFire

Can your ferret climb through an 18-ft dryer hose in less than six seconds? If so, he or she could have won the gold at the 8th Annual Ferret Olympics. For more info, see this Fox News article.

I don't normally post an article of personal interest to me, but several rescue groups co-ordinated this weekend in tandem with the Washington County Animal Control in Hagerstown, MD, to seize ferrets from an illegal and disgusting ferret breeder. 62 ferrets are now at Rocky's Ferret Rescue in various states of health and age. 14 ferrets went 'missing' from the original inspection and the seizure, and the owner, Di Bachman, is being held accountable for thier whereabouts. For info on the rescue, please go to this site. WARNING! DISTURBING IMAGES!
The shelter is in desperate need for funds for vet examinations, neuterings and other necessities. SOS, the ferret shelter aid organization at Anthrocon, has already donated for much needed ADV tests, but more aid is needed. The last large rescue from a breeder cost over $3000 for 33 ferrets, and this time it's 62, some in much worse condition. If anyone in MD or elsewhere can donate even $5, please do!

Saw this on my local news today. Apparently ferrets have a taste for alcohol. It's just a shame the ferret in question was abandoned in this bin. :(

News Article from the BBC.

In a disgusting display of wanton animal cruelty, a man who was told during a layover that the ferret he had smuggled on board in a cooler wasn't allowed on the plane, proceded to beat the animal to death and attempt to flush it down the toilet. The airline offered to take the animal to the local SPCA if the man wanted to continue his flight, and was shocked at how the passenger chose to handle the problem. American Airlines does not allow ferrets in the cabin, and they must have special arrangement to be taken as cargo.

"Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse", the third novel in Richard Bach's "Ferret Chronicles" series, was published on October 1. Click the title for its Amazon.com weblink.

An attempt to stop the ban on ferrets in NYC by showing that the Board of Health had no reason to ban them fell through in Manhattan Supreme Court when the judge decided that there was "rational factual basis" to declare the animals vicious and unpredictable rabies mongers.
Elsewhere, the suitablity of ferrets as pets is not in question.

Richard Bach, author of the 1970 best-selling inspirational fantasy Jonathan Livingston Seagull, has just launched a new series, "The Ferret Chronicles". The first two, Rescue Ferrets at Sea and Air Ferrets Aloft, will be published in June by Simon & Schuster/Scribner; $15.00 and 176 pages each (which implies that they are being written to a formula). Amazon.com has posted them with pictures of their cover art for pre-publication order sales; presumably plot synopses will be added soon. According to a press release, books 3, 4, and 5 are to be published before the end of 2002.

Of interest in regard to our current poll, two psychologists have been running a study on what sort of people own ferrets, anyways?
They cite the increase of young, single women in an increase in popularity of both ferrets and rabbits as pet animals in England. Women especially see this traditonal country working animal for the affectionate, playful animal it is.

Well, after years of threatening, New Zealand is banning pet ferrets. The article is full of inaccuracies (NO other place overseas has a feral ferret population besides NZ, and NZ's was the result of intentional release of thousands of animals 100 years ago).
If you live in New Zealand, stick up for your friends with ferrets, please!

Ferrets in Australia are being dumped in the wild by stupid owners and ferret groups aren't happy. They say breeders are not giving ferret owners enough information to make an informed choice about owning the animals, and because of that the ferrets are suffering.

Specifically, the tendancy to nip and smell is being downplayed, as well as the amount of care ferrets need. Many bad breeders classify them as "easy to care for cage animals".

Ferrets in Australia have already been outlawed in Queensland, and many Oz ferret owners worry such dumps may make them illegal where THEY live too.

On Saturday, November 3rd, Conifur Northwest presented a check for $1550 to the
Washington State Ferret Rescue and Shelter. $1374 of that was raised at the
Conifur Northwest 2001 Charity Auction, and the remainder came from direct donations from members and the convention.
Thanks to everyone who donated via the Charity Auction, directly, or the donation jar on the WSFRS's table (which is in addition to the $1550), a number of ferrets will be living longer, happier, healthier lives after undergoing much-needed but expensive veterinary procedures.

The WSFRS will be returning for Conifur Northwest 2002, and we hope to be able to support them even more next year!

Jerry Beck's CARTOON RESEARCH website reports on "Ferretina", a theatrical animated musical feature in production from the A&A studio in Toronto. Beck says that it looks like it is designed to appeal to Furry fans, but that "this has the smell of impending doom about it". Read more about it on CARTOON RESEARCH.