As an update, the ferret/mink has been sent to Treehouse Wildlife Center. The rehabber who picked it up stated what we already knew. It looks similar to a mink but doesn’t act like one. It was also smaller than an American Mink in her opinion. So, she’s thinking it may be a hybrid of the two.
During this process of determining the best course of action for this animal, I personally spoke with our CPO, our Dept. of Ag rep as well as a DNR wildlife biologist and our veterinarian. To make the determination of the best course of action. The reason we chose to deal with it is because if it was a ferret, it has to be vaccinated for rabies per the Illinois Animal Control Act. That’s the reason for the stray hold, if the “owner” did come forward, we have to make sure it is vaccinated prior to releasing it.
There’s a lot at play in situations like this. Whether it’s a ferret or a mink, it is far too tame to be released to the wild and would lack the needed survival skills to survive. So, if we chose to release it or euthanize it, the end result was the animal is going to die. Which is why we chose to send it to a rehabber.
This is the first ferret ive been involved with. Ive dealt with minks before, and they didnt act this way…trust me. While I know people think we are obtuse and don’t do our homework, our vet is dumb, etc, understand that everything we did was by the books and per the Illinois Animal Control Act. That being said, in the end, we are human…humans make mistakes. I’ll take the opinion and professional advice from a veterinarian of 50 years any day.
Thank you for all of your professional and sometimes unprofessional advice and your opinions. This has been a learning experience for everyone and we can move forward with the tools we’ve learned from this case in our belt for the next time the situation arises.
Tony Petrea
Animal Control Warden
