Remembering Gail Suzanne Burlaka - allferrets 1st CEO

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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