June 2022: Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. Whether by the pool, or in park with a picnic basket. Two new books on ferrets are just right for young readers, which are reviewed, below:
Wild Otters take over the City-State of SingaPore
With the quiet of the streets during Covid, a sleek brown fur-bearing mustelid has taken over the city of Singapore. The financial capital of Asia was not prepared to be invaded by families of otters, who have taken over the streets, parks, beaches, private swimming pools and many public places throughout the city. Several years ago, Singapore was making efforts to protect the smooth Asian otters. The mustelid’s return to the Singapore waterways was “hailed as a conservation success story and vindication of the government’s efforts to turn the manufacturing powerhouse into a lush ‘garden city' envisioned by the country’s founding prime minister” reports the Wall Street Journal (Dec 17, 2021). For the past decade wild otters were making their way from the outlying islands surrounding Singapore to the city's center. A 2019 national parks newsletter called the water-loving animals the “new citizens,” noting that Singapore itself has historically been a nation of immigrants. In 2016, Singapore hosted the 13th International Otter Congress, a gathering of "otter experts” who greeted the arrival of the 3-foot slinky animals as “the return of the otters.”
 Zouk Otter family uses the cross-walks Although natives and tourist stop to take their photos, not all residents are thrilled with the new settlers. With populations now in the hundreds, locals have had run-ins when jogging or bicycling, bites have been reports, as well as missing ornamental carp from local pounds and lakes.
One local citizens’ group, Ottercity which is supportive of the furry residents, has been following the “Zouk,” a wandering family of more than a dozen otters, that was displaced by stronger families and is continuing its search for a permanent home in the City State. The Zouks, so named because the original family was first noted at the location of "Zouk," a prominent Singapore nightclub, are considered the world's most “urban-adaptive” otters. To watch the otters in action, view the BBC Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7f6s2g8C0I
Saturday, April 2, 2022, is National Ferret Day in the United States. It has become a
day to promote and educate the public about the domestic ferret. Ferrets are owned by by millions households worldwide. Celebrated for at least two decades prior to its gaining “official” status in the United States, Carol Roche (New York) working with ferret organizations to achieve official recognition of April 2nd, through the Chase Calendar Days in 2014. The origins of a National Ferret Day are unclear. It is not listed in the federal records as of 1994, however, it has been on the US calendar of the National Special Events Registry listing special holidays, since 1995 according to John Kremer, president of Open Horizons, the company that operates the registry. “International Ferret Day” The US is not the only country that observes a National Ferret Day-- nor is April 2 the only calendar date reserved for its observance. Reference to its occurrence in February can be found on the Internet, and May 5th has been recognized for National Ferret Day in the United Kingdom since 2007, established by the Ferret Education and Research Trust (FERT). Regardless of its origins, National Ferret Day can be celebrated in any way you choose to recognize the Ferret as a wonderful pet and member of the household. How will you celebrate National Ferret Day this year?
Recognizing the Black footed ferret https://medium.com/wild-without-end/happy-national-ferret-day-b96ab768ac4f Western States Ferret Round Up - you should have been there!  Jan 2022: More than 50 people and half a dozen vendors showed up last weekend, Jan 15 and 16, in Tempe, AZ, to join ferret owners, rescuers, shelters, vendors, and ferret fanciers in person, along with their ferrets. Key organizer of the Ferret Round Up was Patrick Wright, head of LegalizeFerrets.org, a California nonprofit, whose mission is to see domestic ferrets legalized in State of California. Local participants from the Phoenix metro area, especially from the AZ Ferret Rescue, contributed their support and expertise to the event. They were joined by those who traveled from California, Oregon, and as far as New Jersey. Ferrets and the human counterparts participated in the judging of the “biggest” and “smallest” ferret (“Elvis and Twiggy” contest), timed sport of “tip the cup”, ferret tube racing, and paper-bag escape, among others. Program speakers were: Dianne Simonian, director of the AZ Ferret Rescue, Manny Giuliano, retired animal cruelty officer in New Jersey, and the force behind the soon to be published children's book about an abandoned ferret: "My Name Is Musky", and Brittany from the AZ Ferret Rescue, on Ferret Biology. Bonnie Myer, and Melanie Ellis, along with many others, contributed judging and event management skills. Although COVID placed somewhat of damper on the event (boxed meals, no buffet), great new relationships have been built. There are plans now to do this event next year in Arizona. So with lots of help from locals and others, we call this a success!
BFF discovered in Colorado homeowner’s garage Pueblo West, Colorado— Nov 10: The rarest mammal in North America made a surprise appearance inside the garage of a southern Colorado homeowner. On Nov 8th an endangered and rare black-footed ferret (BFF) was found inside a garage in Pueblo West, according to the Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW).
 After making the discovery, the homeowners were able to coax the ferret into a box and then contacted the CPW. The garage, located near the Walker Ranch, is where CPW and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have been releasing black-footed ferrets on a prairie dog colony in an effort to restore the endangered mammal in the wild. Since 2013, more than 120 BFFs have been released on the Walker Ranch location.
Each ferret raised for release gets a passive integrated transponder (PIT) microchip inserted between its shoulder blades. Using a scanning device, a BFF can be identified from the information contained in the PIT microchips. An officer from Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region was able to respond with a portable scanner and confirmed the ferret visitor was one of nine BFFs recently released at a 1,600-acre prairie dog colony at the Walker Ranch nearby. After determining the garage-crashing BFF appeared healthy, Officers Cassidy English and Travis Sauder hiked deep into a Walker Ranch prairie dog colony in the dark and re-released the ferret back into the wild. A video of the ferret's release is at: https://twitter.com/i/status/1458473929857650690 “Any Port in a Storm”-UK Couple Finds Ferret in Bed Fleeing Storm A "large" ferret, nicknamed “Snoozy” for his love of sleeping, snuggled into the bed of a Bristol couple on Friday, Nov 26, as Storm Arwen wreaked havoc on the region. As the storm battered the city outside, a dark sable male ferret was found snuggled up in the bed of a Bristol couple, having snuck into their house. “Quite a large chap for a ferret.”  Escaped ferret “Snoozy” slipped out of his owner's home found sleeping in a neighbor’s bed  Once discovered, the baffled couple contacted local vets. Highcroft Vets checked him over the following day, christening him “Stinky Pete” after the character in 1995 Pixar cartoon film, Toy Story. After posting photos of the ferret on social media, the veterinary office was swarmed with ferret-related calls.
The ferret was then transferred to the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre (ARC), where he was renamed “Snoozy,” due to his perpetual dozing. “It must have been quite a shock for the couple,” said a spokesperson for Bristol ARC. “Ferrets are really clever and love to escape, and they are terrific diggers, so it’s actually quite hard to keep them contained sometimes. Obviously he’s got out but found himself at night in the big, cold winter storm, so has found a catflap and gone inside to get warm and dry.” “We don’t know the details of the couple who found him, but apparently he got into their bed in the middle of the night. Maybe they have pets of their own and are used to them getting on the bed, but they would not have expected a ferret,” she added. "Snoozy" weighed in at about a kilo [~ 2.2 pounds), "which is pretty big for a ferret. We’ve been calling him Snoozy, because he was obviously pretty tired from his adventure and has spent most of the time with us sleeping,” she said. Appeals to find the real owner of the ferret met with success. “Snoozy” has now been reunited with his owners. From: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/couple-discover-ferret-hiding-bed-25583580 History: 11.4-Million-Year-Old Otter Fossil found  Sep 2021: A new species of the extinct genus Vishnuonyx was recently identified from the 11.4-million-year-old lower jaw bone found at the Upper Miocene site of Hammerschmiede in the Allgäu region of Germany (photo: "HAM 4").
Commonly known as the Neptune Vishnu otters, V. neptuni, due to their origination in the region of the Indian subcontinent, the Vishnuonyx is an extinct genus of mid-sized otters (10-15 kg). These otters are estimated to have lived between 14 to 12.5 million years ago in the major rivers of Southern Asia. The finding represents the first occurrence of the genus in Europe and its most northern and western record. “Recent finds showed that Vishnu otters reached East Africa about 12 million years ago,” said Dr. Nikolaos Kargopoulos, a paleontologist in the Department of Geosciences at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and his colleagues. Computer-tomographic ("CT") scans were used to visualize the details in teeth of the jaw bone. The teeth suggest that the Neptune Vishu otter dined on "mainly on fish and less on bivalves or plant material, resembling the living giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis.” The discovery of Vishnuonyx neptuni is reported in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology. For more information: Nikolaos Kargopoulos et al. New Early Late Miocene species of Vishnuonyx (Carnivora, Lutrinae) from the hominid locality of Hammerschmiede, Bavaria, Germany. Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology (online: Sep 16, 2021; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1948858 ) Western States Ferret Round-Up: Jan 15-16, 2022 - Tempe, AZ  allFerrets is pleased to partner with California's Legalizeferrets.org in hosting the Western States Ferret Round Up!! Join us in sunny Tempe, Arizona Sat Jan 15- Sun Jan 16, 2022 Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix-Tempe 2100 South Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282 CONTACT ORGANIZERS FOR MORE INFORMATION Bring your ferrets - or just bring yourself!! Doors open at 11 AM, Saturday – January 15th, show ends 1 PM Sunday, January 16th, 2022. Let the fun begin! Round Up Schedule (as of Dec 2021): Saturday, January 15
Sunday, January 16 9 AM: Breakfast with Bob Church - zooarcheologist, specializing in the origins, anatomy, behavior, and ecology of the Ferret and related wild Family members. Ferret Contests:
 Double-Tree Hotel by Hilton, Tempe, Arizona 3 Female BFF kitS at AZ Zoo: Name Reveal!!!  Aug 16: Touted as "the most successful season" for the birth of endangered black footed ferret (BFF) kits, the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC) at the Phoenix Zoo, is asking the public to help name the babies. After 2436 votes the BFF kit NAMES REVEALED: See Below!! The ACNC is one of six facilities worldwide breeding BFFs for release to the wild. The BFF is one of North America's most endangered species. Over the past three decades, the zoo has produced more than 500 BFF kits, many that were released into the wild prairie grasslands of Arizona and other parts of their native range. The six mother BFFs are: Mandolin, Lazuli, Ridley, Sedona, Vermillion, and Yoshi, "who are all doing a fantastic job caring for the little ones." In celebration of this milestone, the zoo is asking for help from the public in naming Sedona's--and dad, Jarvis's--litter of three female kits. The kits are about 2 months old. The zoo staff and caretakers suggested the following names:
The WINNING NAMES for 3 BFF kits are the AZ towns receiving 61% of votes!
 Remembering Gail Suzanne Burlaka - allFerrets Founding Member and 1st CEO  Gail Suzanne Burlaka (1939 - 2021) allFerrets.org dedicated its first Webinar (Apr 9, 2021 8 PM ET) to Gail Suzanne Burlaka, who passed away on February 9, 2021 at the age of 81 in Bayonet, FL.
Born on Nov 21, 1939 in NJ, she spent time in Texas and Washington state before returning to NJ where she married and raised a family. A lover of animals, Gail was a long-time member and President of the NJ Burlington County Kennel Club, actively breeding and showing Afghan Hounds for 21 years. In the 1990's, she began breeding ferrets ("Shalamar Ferrets"). She joined the American Ferret Association in 1996, serving on its board of directors, as “Member-At-Large,” until 2004. Shalamar Ferrets participated in 26 ferret championships and in many "Best in Shows," achieving a “Ferret of the Year” award in 2009. Ms. Burlaka was involved in the AFA's efforts to increase federal regulation of underage ferret kits. She also was a strong supporter of the Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Program. In 2010, she was instrumental in organizing a new national ferret organization, the American Ferret Organization, Inc., aka “allFerrets - an Online Ferret Community" where until recently she served as its first CEO. She recognized the need to bring education and connectivity within the "ferret world" encompassing all ferrets. |
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