Hundreds of ferrets, other animals found dead and alive in Beach home
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive January 2008:
Hundreds of ferrets, other animals found dead and alive in Beach home
This has sickened me. I used to do ferret rescue, and I love these little furbabies.
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/01/hundreds-ferrets-other-animals-found-dead-and-alive-beach-home
Authorities removed about 200 animals - nearly half of them dead in freezers - from a home in the 200 block of N. Lynnhaven Road early Tuesday, police said.
Animal Control agents, responding to a complaint of ferrets living in poor conditions, found more than 100 ferrets, a dog, a bird and three cats "living in deplorable, unsanitary and crowded conditions," according to Margie Long, a police spokeswoman.
Most of the animals were suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, she added.
Carcasses of a rat, cat, otter and 89 ferrets were found in freezers in the home and garage, according to Long.
She said 61 of the rescued ferrets had to be euthanized because of their poor health, more than 15 are in Animal Control custody, and about 23 with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The animals will be held pending a court hearing.
There is no limit to the number of ferrets someone can own in Virginia Beach, but they have to be properly maintained, Long said.
The homeowners could not be reached for an interview. A man who came to the door angrily repeated, "Go away!"
Pinewood Garden residents were shocked at the number of animals removed.
Bob McCrea, 77, lives across the street. He said he knew of just two ferrets.
"They tell me there's 90 dead in there, but I can't believe it," he said as he stood in his yard and watched news crews near his house. "It's unbelievable."
William Ellett lives several houses down from the residence. Ellett, who has lived in Pinewood Garden for almost 40 years, said Animal Control has been called to the home before.
"Before she built her barn, she had some other shed, and the urine smell was horrible," said Ellett. "We couldn't keep our windows open."
Teresa Lamarche, community outreach director for the Virginia Beach SPCA, said ferret breeding can quickly get out of hand.
"People don't understand what's required to care for them."
Lamarche said the SPCA normally doesn't take in ferrets because they should be left in the wild but called this case an exception.
By Jennifer Jiggetts
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 30, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH
Oh yuck!
How awful!!! What is wrong with people?
I find it interesting that the SPCA doesn't normally take in ferrets, and states they should be left in the wild. I'm not a fan of that particular animal, but it certain doesn't strike me as one I would expect to be in the wild.
That woman is a complete idiot.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is the only ferret species endemic to North America and has been classified as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since l967. Within the genus Mustela, ferrets belong to the subgenus Putorius, from which there are only three extant species: M. putorius, the European polecat; M. eversmanni, the Siberian, or steppe polecat; and M. nigripes, the black-footed ferret. The European polecat lives in open forests and meadows, and is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic ferret. The Siberian polecat looks nearly identical to the black-footed ferret and leads a similar life on open grasslands and semi desert regions across Russia, China and Siberia.
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