THE FERRET TROUBLE.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2049, 29 December 1886, Page 2

THE FERRET TROUBLE.

In reference to the attack made by a ferret on an infant, it appeal*'that Blw Dobbs, of Herbert, was busy in the front room of her house with ordinary domeatis duties, while tier baby, seven months old, lay on the rug on the floor beside her. There were no o her children in the room, and tiie mother having occasion to go out to the clothes line, left the baby on the floor. She had hardiy gone ten yards from the door when she *■ war alarmed at hearing the child screaming, "ahd on hastening back to the room a horrible sight presented itself, Aferret belonging to Mr Dobbs had escaped frotrifits cage, and had attacked the 'Child:/ Trio ferret, which had a litter about three weeks old, was tearing with teeth and claws at tho right eye of the infant, whose ;fc»ca was streaming with blood. . Mrs Dobbs drove the animal off, and carried thu’victim to Dr Levinge, who pronoußced'lthe eyo hopelessly destroyed. On inspecting tho feircts’s cage about ten y»rd*tr|jrotn she bouse, they found tho door Of the oega had not been properlv olosedj or- had beea tampered with by some of tfatf • children, and it is surmised that the animal had escaped early in the aftetnoon.i and had been concealed in the room before Mrs I)obb3 iftft it, as she was not > absent from her child more than three minntes. The brute has been caught, and,’ together with the whole of its litter, killed. The New Zealand Times Says i— A more horrifying story has seldom been told thau that of the helpless child, who, while iu its cradie, was at.acked by a fcirtt, and had both of its eyes eaten out. Such a frightful occurrence, which is cot the fir3f instance in New Zealand of children being injured by ferrets, tends to eugg- si uncomfortable refieciious as to the

future poß&ibilities.utpur wholesale lolro duel ion of these fierce and bl-.-od thirst) little animals. They ; may assibt A checking the increase of the dreaded mb but, but if they take,it into their heads to devote their euergies also to checking the natural increase of' population by p,tying upon children, the bereaved parents will begin to think that. Hit? remedy may bo worse than tne disease. Sinister reports are also current of lambs becoming tho recipients of 'hese u-ndci attentions on the part of the ferrets which were designed to be devoted solely to bonny, and it is said that t' c wicked ferret does rot disdain an occasional flirtation with domestic poul tir. We fear there is troutde bicwmg en. r this ferret question. An American paper long ago prepicted that ferrets would soon become so great a nuisance m New Zealand that we should have to loport white ants to extirpate the ferrets, begins to look like it.