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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / March 2008I need help with my pet skunk
http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding gift. What a strange thing, huh? After contacting my vet to get all of the appropriate shots I learned that skunks are illegal in Illinois. As it turns out, every law in Illinois results in the killing of the skunk involved. There is an open year round hunting season. Conservation officers and animal control officers are ordered to have any skunk they are confronted with killed. Even wildlife rehabbers can lose their license for helping an injured skunk. In Illinois, genocide is the only way. I am seeking to have the current prohibition policy amended to allow a conservative permit policy allowing citizens to have a domestic (pen raised not wild) skunk as a pet. Pet skunks are allowed in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Kentucky, but must be killed in Illinois. Every legislator I talk to wishes me the best and says they will support it, but none will write a bill. This may sound off of the wall to most of you, but it means life or death to a member of my family. www.skunklaw.com > http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in > Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding > gift. What a strange thing, huh? After contacting my vet to get all > of the appropriate shots I learned that skunks are illegal in Illinois. I've only seen pet skunks a few times, when I was living in Pittsburgh. They're some of the cutest animals I've ever seen, and these seemed to be dead friendly. What possible problem could a neutered and destunk skunk be? ==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === <http://www.campin.me.uk> ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts >> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > What possible problem could a neutered and destunk skunk be? I suspect this is a troll, albeit a cleverly disguised one. I don't know why some states have the laws they do. IMHO there's absolutely nothing wrong with a skunk as a pet provided they are (as you say) neutered, deodorized (LOL) and there is a vet in the area who knows how to treat them. Same thing with ferrets, which are unbearably cute, but in some states (I think California is one) it's illegal to own them. Go figure. Jill AFAIK she's not a troll. She posted this on some animal newsgroups, and she's also a member of a Yahoo skunk mailing list that I'm on too. About skunks being illegal in some states, I think it has to do with their fear of rabies, especially as there is no good test available for rabies in skunks. Ferrets are forbidden in California as they're afraid that the ferrets will disturb nature when people would dump them in the wild. Most ferrets wouldn't survive there. Ferrets that are found outside are underfed, dehydrated and ill most of the time :-( Nanny >>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jill > AFAIK she's not a troll. She posted this on some animal newsgroups, and > she's also a member of a Yahoo skunk mailing list that I'm on too. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Nanny Hi, As part of my job (I'm a public health microbiologist) I test animals for rabies, including skunks. Unfortunately testing for rabies means the animal is euthanized (or already deceased) since we have to remove the brain. From what I understand, the problem in keeping skunks is the rabies vaccination--none have been specifically developed for skunks and skunks are considered to high risk for rabies transmission. Since they are wild I don't know how much research is being done to either develop a rabies vaccine for skunks or to research the efficacy of other rabies vaccines. It's a shame because I've heard they really can make good pets. HTH, Bonnie >> AFAIK she's not a troll. She posted this on some animal newsgroups, and >> she's also a member of a Yahoo skunk mailing list that I'm on too. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > HTH, Bonnie You're right, it's about the vaccine, sorry. There was a group, I don't know if it still exists, that was collecting money for research for a good vaccine, but the research is terribly expensive. What I'd like to ask, is all this anxiety about rabies in the US justified, I mean does it really occur very often or is it just fear ? I'm from Holland, so I have no idea. Nanny >>> AFAIK she's not a troll. She posted this on some animal newsgroups, and >>> she's also a member of a Yahoo skunk mailing list that I'm on too. [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Nanny Human rabies is not that common anymore but there are still a few human deaths each year from rabies. It's not terribly common in domestic animals either but it still does happen. With such a large reservior of wild animals, it's probably impossible to totally eradicate it in the US. We've seen it in a variety of wild animals--bats, skunks, foxes, mountain lions, raccoons, most mammals can carry rabies. A friend of mine was bitten by a rabid fox and we see quite a few rabid bats. As to whether the anxiety is justified, I don't know. Rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms start and it's not a nice way to die! It's definitely out there. Personally, I am more comfortable having my cats vaccinated! Is Holland considered to be rabies-free? Bonnie There was a cluster of rabies deaths in humans due to organ transplantation several years ago--I have to go to work now so I don't have time to look up a link to it but it's an interesting (and very scary) story. >>>> AFAIK she's not a troll. She posted this on some animal newsgroups, and >>>> she's also a member of a Yahoo skunk mailing list that I'm on too. [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > have time to look up a link to it but it's an interesting (and very scary) > story. Rabies is only found in bats here (eblv1), but in the surrounding countries it still exists in other animals, like foxes. The last human rabies cases were in 1962 after exposure to an imported dog, and in 1996 a Dutchman died after he got bitten by a dog in Morocco. I looked this up for you, my knowledge isn't that good ;-) I vaguely do remember the scare in 1962 though, dogs all had to have muzzles for a while then. Nanny >>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jill Ferrets are illegal here in New York. Several years ago, when Giuliani was mayor, he had a call-in radio show, which was hilarious, because he would always get all testy and yell at people who disagreed with him. Well, someone who loved ferrets called in and said ferrets were certainly not dangerous (which was the ostensible reason they were outlawed). Giuliani, in one of his classic moments, told the guy he was sick and needed psychiatric help to find out why he was "obsessed with weasels." >>>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Giuliani, in one of his classic moments, told the guy he was sick and > needed psychiatric help to find out why he was "obsessed with weasels." The radio conversation can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxLP6ni8vVo I still wonder who was most obsessed with weasels... Nanny >>>>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>>>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Nanny Giuliani's numbers always went up the further he got from New York, where we know him best. He was a petty tyrant, despised civil liberties, and "cleaned up" New York City by making it a police state. He used to have a press conference every morning, when he used to just yell and scream at the members of the press, and appear to be completely insane. In fact, he used one of those press conferences to announce he was getting divorced-- to his wife! That was how she heard about it. We laugh about him now, but while he was around, it wasn't that funny. Theresa, Stinky and Dante >>>>>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>>>>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > > Theresa, Stinky and Dante No, that's not so funny..... But ferrets are still illegal in New York though he's gone, is the next one as bad as he was ? Nanny >>>>>>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>>>>>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > > Nanny Most people would say no, in fact, most people seem to be happy with him. I'm not at all, so I'm on the outside on this one. But he's certainly not bats*** crazy like Giuliani.  SignatureTheresa, Stinky and Dante drtmuirATearthlink.net > Giuliani's numbers always went up the further he got from New York, > where we know him best. I still don't understand how he got voted in as mayor of New York City, of all places! Joyce SignatureTo send email to this address, remove the triple-X from my user name. > > Giuliani's numbers always went up the further he got from New York, > > where we know him best. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Joyce We have moodswings, like every other place. ;) SignatureTheresa, Stinky and Dante drtmuirATearthlink.net > <bastXXXette@sonic.net> wrote in message >> I still don't understand how he got voted in as mayor of New York City, >> of all places! > We have moodswings, like every other place. ;) Put some lithium in the drinking water around election time. :) Joyce SignatureTo send email to this address, remove the triple-X from my user name. > > <bastXXXette@sonic.net> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Joyce Haven't you heard? It may already be there. >>>>>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>>>>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > around, it wasn't that funny. > Theresa, Stinky and Dante If it wasn't for 9/11 Giuliani would have been long forgotten by now, another thing to thank Bin Laden for. :-( SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk >>> http://www.skunklaw.com I am trying to rally support for laws in >>> Illinois to be changed. My brother got us a pet skunk for a wedding [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > illegal to own them. Go figure. > Jill Ferrets are illegal in CA. It's because if they get out they tend to eat endangered prey. Personally, when my two pet rats expire, I'm wanting a ferret. They're so sweet and they're darn smart. :~) kili
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