At the April 20th 2023 meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission meeting, 2 ferret enthusiasts testified in public comments and argued for ferret legalization. At the conclusion, F&G President Eric Sklar said that the issue had been discussed many times and that for us to continue we (ferrets owners) should be prepared to fund an EIR. (Environmental Impact Report)
There are a few problems with that. #1, we already offered to do so. We followed F&G directions and in 2010 did a preliminary Environmental Impact Report.
What is interesting were the comments at the end of ferret proponents please at the May 2017 Fish and Game Commission meeting.
After all the ferret proponents spoke, and one undesirable from the California Waterfowl Assoc who always waits out side the room and is the last to testify, President Sklar says if ferret legalization proponents insist on testifying we need to come up with the funds for a full blown EIR.
But to do an EIR, we need a lead agency, something Fish and Game has refused to do. Has he changed his mind?
Keep in mind, domestic ferrets are domestic animals.
The California civil code says:
There may be ownership of all inanimate things which are capable of appropriation or of manual delivery; of all domestic animals; of all obligations; of such products of labor or skill as the composition of an author, the good will of a business, trade marks and signs, and of rights created or granted by statute.
Ca. Civ. Code ยง 655
- What about the California Civil Code regarding domestic animals?
- How can the Commission determine that the domestic ferret is a wild animal without having any documentation?
- And most important – will the California Fish and Game Commission now agree to be the lead agency for an EIR regarding recognizing the domestic ferret’s legal status?