subject: Ferret History [print this page] The first known written reference to the ferret and its domesticated status pops up around 400 BC (Yep, that is before the birth of Christ!). It was written by the satirical Greek writer known as Aristophanes. Later, the Greek naturalist and philosopher Aristotle (yes, the one we have all heard of!) mentions this little dude again.
As history progressed, it seems so did the ferrets ability to meet the needs of humans. Take for example Caesar Augustus of the Roman Empire. Around 60 BC he received a request to sail several ferrets to the Balearic Islands.
Their mission: Control the rabbit population.
But he is a relative newcomer to the shores of North America. He landed here about the same time the Pilgrims and other settlers did (although we may never know exactly how!)
Indeed, why do you think they came in so handy in the American Revolution? Well, just like in the age of the Roman Empire they were placed on the war ships and were put in charge of the "rodent patrol." This may be difficult to believe but these guys were so valuable as shipmates that one ship was actually named after the animal. This, though, was some 60 years after the revolution. The ship was simply named The Ferret. A schooner, it was one of the chief ships that chased and captured pirates.
These guys even have as sport named after them. Yes, it is true! It is called the sport of ferreting (go figure!). And it is simply hunting small game using --- you guessed it, ferrets. This sport in all probability developed right along with the domestication of the animal itself.
The ferret keeper releases several ferrets near rabbit burrows. They are, in effective, sent out in search of the game. And just like today's canines -- the pointers and other sporting dogs -- the ferrets wore bells on their collars. In this way their keepers were better able to keep track of them. Now, do not misunderstand the role of the ferret in all of this. He was not sent out to actually perform the hunting aspect of this sport. No, his role was just to rouse the rabbit and other small game out of its burrow.
You may not want to hear this, but ferrets have been on the wrong side of the law -- but not by their choice, mind you. No, many poachers used ferrets to help them illegally catch game. It is rather embarrassing to say, but the poacher would hide the ferret in his pants, and then take the furry animal out at night on his hunt. In fact, if you want to get technical about it, you could say that poachers were actually the first large-scale owners of these guys.
And let's just say some topics are better left briefly developed...
Even today, depending on what city or state you live in a ferret could be classified as a classic "outlaw." Confusion reigns over the actual lineage of these adorable little creatures.
Are they wild animals that people insist on keeping? Or are they actually domesticated descendants of wild animals? As advanced as science and biology is sometimes... it makes you wonder why we can't trace the ferret's heritage clearly back. No matter. The fact remains that in many states as well as more than a few cities, owning a ferret as a pet is illegal. Yep. It certainly is.
