Editing Ferret (section)

==As pets==
[[Image:Vinnie the Ferret in a War Dance Jump.jpg|thumb|right|A ferret in a [[weasel war dance|war dance]] jump]]

In the United States, ferrets were relatively rare pets until the 1980s. A government study by the California State Bird and Mammal Conservation Program estimated that by 1996 about 800,000 domestic ferrets were being kept as pets in the United States.{{r|jurek1998}}

===Regulation===
* '''Australia''': It is illegal to keep ferrets as pets in [[Queensland]] and the [[Northern Territory]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCosker |first1=Amy |last2=Schremmer |first2=Jessica |title=Ferrets to remain illegal in QLD |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-01-24/fear-of-feral-ferrets-prevents-legislation-in-queensland/9355888 |access-date=20 January 2022 |work=ABC News |date=24 January 2018 |language=en-AU}}</ref> in the [[Australian Capital Territory]] a licence is required.<ref>{{cite news |last=Latham |first=Dayle |title=Ferrets: curious and coy |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6090908/ferrets-curious-and-coy/ |access-date=20 January 2022 |work=The Canberra Times |date=30 April 2019 |language=en-AU}}</ref>
* '''Brazil''': Ferrets are allowed only if they are given a [[Microchip implant (animal)|microchip identification tag]] and sterilized.
* '''New Zealand''': It has been illegal to sell, distribute or breed ferrets in New Zealand since 2002 unless certain conditions are met.<ref>[http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1953/0031/latest/DLM278701.html#DLM278701 Wildlife Act 1953] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808224434/http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1953/0031/latest/DLM278701.html#DLM278701 |date=2010-08-08 }}&nbsp;– Schedule 8</ref>
* '''United States''': Ferrets were once banned in many US states, but most of these laws were rescinded in the 1980s and 1990s as they became popular pets.
** Illegal: Ferrets are illegal in California under Fish and Game Code Section 2118;{{r|regcafishgame}} and the California Code of Regulations,{{r|regcacode}} although it is not illegal for [[veterinarian]]s in the state to treat ferrets kept as pets. "Ferrets are strictly prohibited as pets under Hawaii law because they are potential carriers of the rabies virus";{{r|reghi}} the territory of [[Puerto Rico]] has a similar law.<ref name="FerretFreeZones">{{cite web |title=Are Ferrets Legal in ...? |work=List of Ferret-Free Zones |author=Katie Redshoes |url=http://home.netcom.com/~redshoes/ffztable.html |access-date=2007-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929110633/http://home.netcom.com/~redshoes/ffztable.html |archive-date=2007-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ferrets are restricted by some municipalities, such as [[New York City]],<ref name="FerretFreeZones"/> which renewed its ban in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=New York's Health Board Dashes the Hopes of Ferret Fans |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/nyregion/sorry-ferrets-new-york-citys-ban-will-remain.html |website=The New York Times |date=10 March 2015 |access-date=11 March 2015 |archive-date=11 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311033824/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/nyregion/sorry-ferrets-new-york-citys-ban-will-remain.html |url-status=live |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael M. }}</ref><ref name="NYCendingban">{{cite news |title=De Blasio's Latest Break With His Predecessors: Ending a Ban on Ferrets |author=Michael M. Grynbaum |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/nyregion/de-blasios-latest-break-with-his-predecessors-ending-a-ban-on-ferrets.html |access-date=2014-05-27 |archive-date=2014-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528064614/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/nyregion/de-blasios-latest-break-with-his-predecessors-ending-a-ban-on-ferrets.html |url-status=live }}</ref> They are also prohibited on many military bases.<ref name="FerretFreeZones"/> A permit to own a ferret is needed in other areas, including Rhode Island.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=R.I. Ferret Regulations |publisher=State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Department of Environmental Management |date=June 27, 1997 |url=http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/fishwild/f_wferet.pdf |access-date=2007-07-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923191208/http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/fishwild/f_wferet.pdf
 |archive-date=September 23, 2006}}</ref> Illinois and Georgia do not require a permit to merely possess a ferret, but a permit is required to breed ferrets.{{r|regil|regga}} It was once illegal to own ferrets in [[Dallas]], Texas,<ref>{{cite web |title=Dallas |work=Prohibited by Ordinance |publisher=Ferret Lover's Club of Texas |date=1996–2005
 |url=http://www.texasferret.org/lglprohibord.shtml |access-date=2006-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918001649/http://texasferret.org/lglprohibord.shtml
 |archive-date=2006-09-18 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but the current Dallas City Code for Animals includes regulations for the vaccination of ferrets.<ref>{{cite web|title=Animal Services|work=Dallas City Code, Chapter 7: "Animals"; Article VII: "Miscellaneous"|publisher=American Legal Publishing Corporation|url=http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Texas/dallas/volumei/preface?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:dallas_tx|access-date=2006-09-19|archive-date=2006-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004102251/http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Texas/dallas/volumei/preface?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:dallas_tx|url-status=live}}</ref> Pet ferrets are legal in [[Wisconsin]], however legality varies by municipality. The city of [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin]], for example, classifies ferrets as a wild animal and subsequently prohibits them from being kept within the city limits. Also, an import permit from the state department of agriculture is required to bring one into the state.{{r|regwi}} Under [[common law]], ferrets are deemed "wild animals" subject to [[strict liability]] for injuries they cause, but in several states [[statutory law]] has overruled the common law, deeming ferrets "domestic".<ref>{{cite court|litigants=Gallick v. Barto |vol=828 |reporter=F.Supp. |opinion=1168 |court=M.D.Pa. |year=1993 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17736642397628316680&q=828+F.Supp.+1168&as_sdt=2,44
|access-date=26 November 2012}}</ref>
* '''Japan''': In [[Hokkaido]] prefecture, ferrets must be registered with the local government.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hokkaido Animal Welfare and Control Ordinance |work=Hokkaido Animal Welfare and Control Ordinance Chapter 2, Section 3. |url=http://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ks/skn/aigo/jyourei.htm |access-date=2009-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309165724/http://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ks/skn/aigo/jyourei.htm |archive-date=March 9, 2008 }}</ref> In other prefectures, no restrictions apply. {{Citation needed|reason=Not covered by Hokkaido reference|date=May 2024}}
* '''South Africa''': In the [[Western Cape]] province, a permit is required to buy, sell, or possess a ferret.<ref>{{cite web |title=CapeNature warns against ferret ownership amid growing environmental threat|url=https://www.capenature.co.za/news/2024/capenature-warns-against-ferret-ownership-amid-growing-environmental-threat|access-date=2024-11-25 |date=September 2024}}
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