April 16,2010
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Run
rabbit run: a ferret has a radio transmitter fitted to its collar
in case it goes missing underground
Photo:
ALAMY |
Telegraph
By Vicky Liddell
Ferreting helps keep rabbits in check, says Vicky Liddell Mention
the word ferreter and most people imagine a clandestine character with
animals stuffed down his trousers. While this image may have been accurate
20 years ago, these days a ferreter is as likely to be an office worker
with ferrets that double as pets. Hunting rabbits with ferrets is enjoying
a revival thanks to the burgeoning rabbit population, currently estimated
at 45 million, and it is why I am standing in a field off the A12 in
north Suffolk watching professional ferreter Simon Whitehead in action.
Ferreting is an ancient field sport which has changed little over the
centuries. Armed with a spade, a box of pink-nosed ferrets and a lurcher
called Maud, Whitehead strides purposefully over the field to the honeycomb
of burrows he has covered with yellow purse nets. The only concession
to modern technology is a ferret-finder (an electronic tag), which is
linked to collars around the ferrets' necks before they are dropped into
the holes and which helps Whitehead locate his ferrets when they are
four feet down in the Suffolk soil.
Minutes pass and the only movement is the increasing twitching of the
dog's ears as she marks an entrance to the warren. "It's all about patience
and silence," Whitehead explains. "The dog will tell you what is going
on." And sure enough, within seconds a rabbit is catapulted into the
net and while the lurcher pins it down, Whitehead rushes over to a different
net to retrieve another rabbit. So it continues, like a well organised
dance in which ferrets, ferreter and dog work seamlessly through alternating
periods of movement and silence.
This field, like many in the region, is swarming with rabbits and the
ferrets catch six in the first nine metres. "It's primitive but effective,''
he says. ''And compared to gassing and shooting, it's much more humane," Small
wildlife can escape and not all the rabbits are caught. The doomed ones
can be despatched quickly and without stress to ensure clean and tasty
meat for restaurants.
"People have got out of the way of eating rabbit but attitudes are
slowly changing," Whitehead says. "Wild rabbit is a lean, low-fat meat
which could be a lot more popular than it is." And Whitehead, who is
planning to sell rabbit burgers at the local farmers' market, is hoping
that his rabbit will link in with the growing demand for locally produced
food.
After a break for some delicious home-made rabbit pie, we resume, but
this time using four ferrets. There is more action, with rabbits exploding
into the nets all along the hedgerow. Each one is deftly despatched,
but at the end of the session one ferret has not surfaced. "This is where
the ferret finder comes in," explains Whitehead, who has started to dig
in the direction of the signal. "I haven't lost a ferret yet." He lies
face down in the grass and, reaching down into the hole, brings out the
lost ferret and yet another rabbit.
Whitehead, who bought his first ferret at the age of 15, now has two
dozen but not all are used for ferreting. During the summer he tours
the game and country fairs, giving demonstrations and letting members
of the public touch them. "You can't handle a ferret too much: the tamer
the better. In fact, they are becoming quite popular as pets," he says.
But these ferrets don't have the time to sit around on people's laps
all day long. Last year, Natural England estimated the annual cost of
rabbit damage to be £100 million. Half of this is related to damage
to agricultural land, but rabbits also burrow under roads and precious
archaeological sites.
Over the years, Whitehead and his ferrets have had some unusual requests
for rabbit clearance. They have worked at a sports track, a roundabout
and even underneath an operating theatre.
When they are not working, the ferrets live in a large hutch –known
as a court – and dine on wild rabbit in the winter and ferret biscuits
in the summer.
Whitehead's enthusiasm for ferreting is infectious and the ferreting
days he runs are becoming increasingly popular with newcomers of all
ages. As a cost-effective method of rabbit control, ferreting wins hand
down. After two hours of recreational ferreting we have caught 14 rabbits
in no more than a small section of field.
But watching the way dog, ferrets and ferreter work together in the
beautiful East Anglian countryside, it is plain that the pastime works
at a deeper level. "Ferreting is part of a bigger jigsaw that keeps nature
in balance," Whitehead says. "It's about outwitting nature but it's also
about keeping it fun." It also provides an abundance of affordable local
food.
Ferret facts
- Female ferrets (jills) are preferred for ferreting as they are smaller,
faster and less likely to kill the rabbit.
- Ferrets live for an average of eight to 10 years. They are easily
house-trained and may be taken for a walk on a lead.
- Builders used to employ ferrets to lay cables under floorboards.
They were famously tasked with laying television cables for the royal
wedding in 1981.
- Contrary to popular belief, ferrets only bite when they are badly
handled.
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