Appeal after family of five ferrets found abandoned

THE SCOTTISH SSPCA is appealing for information after a family of ferrets was abandoned.

Officers were called near to the Kinneil Nature Reserve in Bo'ness after a passer-by spotted the mum, dad and their three babies.

The animal welfare charity said that it was clear that the family had been brought up as pets, but that the owners had left their carry cage door open in an attempt to release them into the wild last Wednesday.

SSPCA ambulance driver Jenny Hamilton said, "The ferrets were in good overall health and the parents were quite friendly, which would suggest they are well-handled pets.

"It may be that whoever owned these ferrets either didn't know they had a male and a female or didn't bother to get them neutered.

"It's cruel to have simply dumped these ferrets in the woods. They are domestic pets, not wild animals, and they don't have the skills to survive on their own."