Man petitions to lift Calif. ferret ban

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LA MESA, Calif., Jan. 14 (UPI) -- A California man said he is petitioning President Barack Obama to support the legalization of domestic ferrets in the state.

Pat Wright, 54, began gathering signatures on his website -- www.legalizeferrets.org -- to take part in the "We the People" program in which the White House promises to consider any petition that receives at least 25,000 signatures in 30 days, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Wright said his more local efforts -- running for the Assembly and lieutenant governor, organizing rallies, and sending out a weekly newsletter -- just aren't cutting it.

"The problem is that it's seen as a loser issue," he said. "Any politician who would help us would be ridiculed."

California is one of only two states -- the other is Hawaii -- that bans the keeping of ferrets as pets, the Times reported. The California Fish and Wildlife Department said it fears the animals could escape from homes, become feral and threaten native wildlife species.

Wright, of La Mesa, said he thinks his rights are being abused.

The ban "is a symptom of the disempowerment of the average person in California," he said.