Cuddle a pet ferret at your own peril, warns CapeNature

Ferrets may look cute and furry but are not as harmless as they look.

That’s the warning from CapeNature in a public appeal against keeping ferrets as domestic pets due to the risk of spreading disease.

The warning comes amid growing popularity of ferrets as pets in South Africa, despite them being relatively new to the country. “People who are adventurous in choosing a furry friend have shown an interest in ferrets. However, there are several reasons why they do not make ideal pets,” CapeNature said on Thursday.

“In North America, there is evidence some of the disease problems associated with the endangered American black-footed ferret are attributable to diseases brought by the importation of ferrets. They have been found to carry rabies, for which there is no proven vaccine.

“In other parts of the world, ferrets have been found to be carriers of bovine tuberculosis. In the past few months, it is concerning that CapeNature has encountered an increase in incidents of ferrets caught as pets in homes and running wild.”

Feral ferret populations in parts of the world have caused ecological damage, such as in New Zealand, where the upsurge was linked to devastating rates of mortality among several indigenous wild animal species. “For these reasons ferrets are mostly banned globally and are considered highly undesirable imports in many parts of the world, where their import was originally permitted,” said CapeNature.  

Anybody found in possession of a ferret without a valid permit could face legal consequences.

“The increase in pet ferret encounters in the Western Cape illustrated people are importing, keeping or trading in ferrets without concern for the dire environmental risk these activities pose to the precious biodiversity of the province,” said CapeNature CEO, Dr Ashley Naidoo.

“I urge the public to work with us in curbing wildlife crime by reporting suspicious activity related to the illegal collection and trade of animals and plants. This includes our succulent plants, which continue to be heavily impacted.”

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