Culver City Woman Trying To Make Ferrets Legal CA Pets

CULVER CITY, CA – Owning a ferret in California can get you charged with a misdemeanor, up to six months in jail, or $1,000 in fines. But one Culver City woman is leading the fight to legalize the furry worms as pets. Longtime ferret owner Megan Mitchell is one of the leaders in the attempt to legalize ferrets – she considers her 2 1/2-year-old ferrets Kudzu and Krampus to be family, according to LA Weekly.

When she's not working or advocating for the legalization of ferrets, Mitchell said she just likes to spend time with them.

“They are very social animals and love to play. Often my husband and I will spend an hour playing with them and chasing them around instead of watching TV," she told LA Weekly. "It's our family time.”

Currently in the United States, ferrets are only illegal in California and Hawaii. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said on its website that animals like ferrets that are legal pets elsewhere are illegal in the state "to protect public health and safety, agriculture, wildlife, and natural resources." Mitchell's fight for furry equality isn't a new one – ferret legalization advocates have been battling with California officials for almost three decades, LA Weekly reports.

“Many people will think, 'They're just ferrets,' but they have the same bond to humans as dogs and cats,” Mitchell told LA Weekly. “So think how someone might feel if their dog was taken away just because California won't overturn an 80-year-old law that has no scientific data backing up its claims.”

In 2015, Mitchell founded Angel City Ferret Club, a group based in Southern California to advocate for the legalization of domesticated ferrets; she thinks the best way to legalize ferrets is to start small, garnering support from local cities.

Read more about the ferret fallout at LA Weekly

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