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PHOENIX - Dogs and cats are always filling up local rescues, but another creature is 'weasling' it’s way in.
Arizona Ferret Rescue, specifically, has 88 ferrets. Retired jewelry store owner Diane Simonian has dedicated her life to care for ferrets.
"It's very rewarding. Especially these guys," said Simonian.
For Simonian, it all began with what her son brought back home one day.
"About 20 years ago, my son brought one home, and at first, I wasn't too keen on it, and then after a while, it was really cute, and then, it just kept happening," said Simonian. "Ferret math added up."
For the last eight-and-a-half years, Simonian has owned the Phoenix-based Arizona Ferret Rescue, with a mission to help protect and rehome thousands of these creatures.
"We had 12 that were dropped off three Sundays ago," said Simonian.
Diane says most cases are for sick ferrets or surrenders, from across the country.
"New Mexico [is] wanting me to take five ferrets right now," said Simonian.
Simonian received a flood of ferrets after the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, when people returned to work.
"When things slowed down, that's when I got bombarded with ferrets," said Simonian.
For Simonian and her team of volunteers, it's quite the task, as they clean every cage daily, and each ferret is let out to play. They also provide medical care, in order to make sure the ferrets are ready for adoption.
"All they want is to play for an hour or two a day, and go to sleep for 22 hours," said Simonian. "So yeah. They're easy."
When she’s not rescuing ferrets, Simonian is running around the Valley, delivering food to the homeless.
"I've always had a niche for people, and the homeless are no different from us, except we have a house, and they don’t," said Simonian.
Some facts about ferrets
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AZ woman operates ferret rescue
When it comes to animal rescues, we often think of dog rescues and cat rescues. One Phoenix area woman, however, has opened a rescue to help a small animal that is considered to be a rodent in some parts of the country. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports.
The word ‘ferret’ is derived from its name in Latin, furittus, meaning ‘little thief’.
From 1860 to the start of World War II, ferrets were used to protect grain stores from rodents. They gained popularity as pets in the 1980s and 1990s, but they're not welcome everywhere, as the animal is actually illegal in California and Hawaii, as well as cities like New York and Washington, D.C.
"They consider them to be rodents in California, and think they’re going to be harmful to the agriculture, which is not true," said Simonian.
Arizona Ferret Rescue
https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaFerretRescue/