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Petition to legalise ferrets in California
Lobbying to remove ferret ban continues

A petition to decriminalise ferret ownership in the state in California, USA, has failed to meet the required amount of signatories, following a threshold change at the White House.

Due to their classification as wild animals under California's Department of Fish and Game since 1933, it remains illegal to own a ferret in the state – a law that has been lobbied against since the 1980s, when they started to become popular as pets.

The department has maintained the ban for fear that if the ferrets were to escape their owners, they may breed in the wild and threaten other native species.

Aside from a few US cities – including New York City – the only other state to have a ban on ferrets is Hawaii, in order to protect its unique flora and fauna.

LegalizeFerrets.org, a group set up in 2005 with the single goal to legalise ferrets as pets in California, formed a petition to the White House at the beginning of January that required 25,000 signatures within 30 days in order to receive a response.

However, due to the "explosive growth of users and petitions", the signature threshold for the White House has since been changed to 100,000 within 30 days. The petition has now expired, after failing to meet the required number of signatories.

Pat Wright, head of LegalizeFerrets.org, formed the group after a bill to make ferrets legal in California made its way to the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004, but was later vetoed. He has since run for office, organised campaigns and even gone to jail in order to change ferret rights.

"We're asking [the government] to give the issue a fair hearing and it's falling not on deaf ears, but on hostile ears," he explained. "That's why a little nudge from the White House, an acknowledgment that we're being treated unfairly, would be extremely welcomed by California's besieged ferret owners.”

While pet ferrets remain illegal in the state, Mr Wright estimates that up to 500,000 are kept in California alone, but owners avoid taking them to the vets for fear that they may be confiscated.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."