This article was originally posted on https://californianewswire.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — After nearly eight months of waiting for public records, Legalize Ferrets (LegalizeFerrets.org) has obtained internal California Fish and Game Commission documents confirming that California’s ban on domestic ferrets was never based on scientific or administrative findings.
The newly released materials trace the prohibition back to 1933, when the Commission simply declared that it “absolutely prohibits importation of ferret and fitch.” No hearing, no environmental study, and no determination of domestication ever took place.
“Ferrets are banned because they are not ‘normally domesticated in this state,’ and they are not ‘normally domesticated in this state’ because they are banned,” said Pat Wright of LegalizeFerrets.org. “It’s circular logic that has gone unchallenged for ninety years.”
A TIMELINE OF BUREAUCRATIC INHERITANCE
* 1933: Rules and Regulations Governing the Importation of Wild Birds and Animals – Commission “absolutely prohibits importation of ferret and fitch.”
* 1975: Fish & Game Code §2116 amended to add “not normally domesticated,” and ferrets were automatically labeled as such – again with no hearing or evidence.
* Today: The current ban remains a direct descendant of those early rules, never revisited through modern, evidence-based review.
“These documents prove the ban was inherited, not determined,” Wright said. “There was never a factual finding that ferrets are wild animals – just 1930s boilerplate carried forward.”
LEGALIZATION EFFORT GAINS TRACTION UNDER THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ACT
The campaign for ferret legalization gained new traction this year after LegalizeFerrets.org formally invoked California’s Administrative Procedures Act (APA).
Under the APA, state agencies must base decisions on scientific evidence, follow transparent procedures, and allow public comment before adopting or maintaining a regulation.
“This law finally puts the issue where it belongs – in the light of science and public participation,” Wright explained. “For the first time, the Commission is being required to justify its classification of domestic ferrets under modern standards.”
PETITION 2025-003 MOVES FORWARD
On June 11, 2025, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to accept Petition 2025-003 for further consideration. The petition seeks to remove domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) from the prohibited species list – the first formal step toward a scientific, evidence-based review.
“The issue is simple,” Wright said. “Are domestic ferrets domestic animals? If so, the Fish and Game Commission has no jurisdiction. That’s the question the state has avoided answering for nine decades.”
CALL FOR EXPERTS AND PUBLIC SUPPORT
LegalizeFerrets.org is now seeking expert witnesses in animal domestication, wildlife biology, and administrative law to assist as the case proceeds.
Supporters are also urged to add their name to the public petition at:
Learn More: https://www.legalizeferrets.org/
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Originally published on CaliforniaNewswire.com — California’s Ferret Ban Inherited in 1933 and Never Determined – Petition to Change in 2025