| |
 |
| |
Simon Whitehead has written a guide to ferreting
- with one of his ferrets |
27 November 2008
Norwich Evening News 24
Simon Whitehead has turned the skills of ferreting he learned from an
old farmer into a career that has become so successful he is even thinking
of taking on an apprentice.
The father of one, who runs Pakefield Ferrets from his home near Lowestoft,
is among just a handful of professional ferreters managing rabbit populations
in Britain.
And while many businesses are suffering in the credit crunch, he is finding
life increasingly hectic, managing rabbits during the winter and giving ferret
demonstrations at shows during the summer. He has even just a written a book,
Ferreting - an Essential Guide, published by Crowood Press, likely to appeal
to the growing legions who keep ferrets as pets.
Mr Whitehead, 40, who learned the skills of ferreting using nets while he was
growing up in the North-East, is called out by everyone from householders with
a rabbit problem in the garden to large landowners.
He said: “One rabbit under the shed in a small garden can be quite a headache
for someone if they have just spent £40 or £50 down the garden
centre.
“On agricultural land rabbits can cause horrific damage to the harvest.
On one farm alone, I have taken more than 900 rabbits from six fields since
August.”
Mr Whitehead, who keeps a team of 20 ferrets, said demand for his services
was stoked by the fact that rabbit populations were growing by 2pc a year,
on average, because of milder winters allowing breeding nearly all the year
round.
Added to that was the fact that modern farms had far fewer employees who could
be spared for pest control and the rabbit disease myxomatosis, which regulated
populations, had waned.
He said: “In an increasingly green-conscious age I offer an organic and
environmentally friendly form of pest control as well as providing an abundance
of free-range meat.”
Mr Whitehead, who often uses lurchers to scent the position of rabbits in a
warren, said he had no regrets about his decision to go it alone eight years
ago, having previously worked for a pest control firm.
“With business growing it would be nice to have an apprentice but it can
be a harsh way of life, albeit fulfilling, and I would need someone with the
desire to do it,” he said.
|
Ferret News 
