Mista Ferret is circus trained and has his own Facebook page - but he
is still on the run after escaping from his home in Riverside with five
of his pals
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Gordon Tyler's Facebook ferrets, Riverside, Cardiff
Photograph: Hannah Waldram/guardian.co.uk |
Guardian
Cardiff
March 12, 2010
The race is on to find six circus-trained ferrets who are so loved by
fans they have their own
Facebook page.
The ferrets belong to Gordon Tyler, otherwise known as Fiery Jack, a
36-year-old jester from Riverside. Tyler tours the UK with his 12 talented
ferrets to perform at medieval events.
Ironically, one of their acts is known as The Great Escape, and sees
the ferrets run through an assault course designed like a castle.
Tyler had left the ferrets in their sleeping area over night on Tuesday – a
warren filled with nine hutches, connected with runs and tubes to a shed
in the garden. Tyler said their intense training has given the ferrets
active minds – which meant when he left the catch on their run-around
garden hutch loosely closed, they easily forced the entrance open.
Tyler is currently working hard to make the garden more ferret-friendly
and protected – but before he'd managed to complete the work they
had already escaped.
"I came down in the morning to finish the garden and found six of the
ferrets had gone," he said.
Mista, Dude, Freddy, Snowball, Puzzle and Shadow had all managed to
escape. But it's Mista Ferret that Tyler is most eager to find.
Mista was the star of the show. He even has his own Facebook page with
more than 400 friends. Tyler said:
"People pay for them to be there and that money all went on looking
after the ferrets. Mista has made friends at different gigs I've done.
The Facebook page is for the fan base of the shows. But Mista is properly
trained - he sits, rolls over and plays dead."
You can recognise Mista because of his polecat markings – a black
mask around the eyes. The other ferrets have clear faces or spectacle
eyebrows.
As Fiery Jack the jester, Tyler also does street performing, workshops
in schools and work with Cardiff-based No Fit State circus.
Tyler said after breeding ferrets for years he knows of more than 90
across the country he can pick up for his next big show in August – but
they will need a period of training, so he is eager to get his old ferrets
back.
If you think you've seen Mista or one of his friends contact
the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or Gordon Tyler on 07752853466.
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