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Stop Breeding Hamsters to Feed Ferrets
  1. Signatures
    540 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Team
  2. Created By
    Stephanie Feldstein
    Ypsilanti, MI
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Wildlife expert and Change.org blogger, Marc Bekoff, recently drew attention to the black-footed ferret recovery/reintroduction program, where thousands of hamsters are bred to serve as prey for ferrets to practice hunting.

In a recent two-year period, more than 7,000 hamsters were bred just for this purpose and over 5,000 of them were offered as live prey to the ferrets.

While the idea of a reintroduction program for ferrets is beneficial for the species, it comes at a high cost. It's been estimated that, when only considering released ferrets who survive, the cost may be as high as one million dollars per animal.

The cost to the hamsters is even higher. These animals, who are sentient just like the ferrets, live their lives only to be hunted.

Please ask the black-footed ferret recovery team to stop breeding thousands of golden hamsters solely to be fed live to captive born ferrets.

Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Recent Signatures

Stop Breeding Live Hamsters for the Ferret Recovery Program

Greetings,

I recently read on Change.org that thousands of golden hamsters are bred every year for the sole purpose of acting as prey for black-footed ferrets who are to be released. While I recognize the importance of the black-footed ferret recovery/reintroduction program, other animals should not be produced just to suffer for the sake of the ferrets.

Golden hamsters, just like the ferrets, are sentient animals. Animals who end up as prey for the ferrets in the wild are part of the ecosystem; breeding animals solely to be hunted is inhumane. It is my understanding that the program is also costly - it's been estimated that, when only considering released ferrets who survive, the cost may be as high as one million dollars per animal.

I urge you to stop breeding thousands of golden hamsters solely to be fed live to captive born ferrets and seek alternatives that more are humane for all the species involved.

[Your name]

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