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Man Arrested For Owning 16 Ferrets
Contraband at the Hollywood Farmers Market (Photo by Betsy Lee via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
A man has been arrested for owning and allegedly trying to sell sixteen ferrets.Animal control officers arrested 23-year old Sebastian Alexander Swisher at his home on the 3200 block of South Center Street in Santa Ana and found that he was in possession of 16 ferrets, which are illegal in the state of California. According to City News Service, Swisher is accused of buying the animals in Nevada to resell them in California.
Santa Ana police corporal Anthony Bertagna told CNS that officers were working off a tip before making the arrest, and that the value of the animals wasn't clear at this time.
California and Hawaii are the only two states that ban the keeping of ferrets as pets, primarily out of concern that escaped ferrets would become an invasive pest and harm native wildlife. In March, New York City renewed their ban on ferret ownership in order to protect infants.
A few have also cited their concern for the safety of their johnsons if marmot, er, ferret ownership were to be legalized in California:
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