Stabbing Suspected In Ferret Deaths

More than 80 ferrets were killed in a north Spokane barn last week, possibly stabbed to death with a weapon similar to a syringe, police said.

Detectives have a “person of interest” in the case, but aren’t releasing any information. They intend to pursue a warrant for 82 counts of animal cruelty and first-degree malicious mischief, Spokane police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

House of Ferrets owner Jean Smith discovered 82 dead ferrets on Friday in an outbuilding, where she kept more than 100 of the animals adjacent to her home.

Although detectives believe the animals were stabbed to death, autopsy results were not immediately conclusive, said Dr. Terry McElwain, director of the Washington State University veterinary diagnostic lab.

“There were puncture wounds from what could be a syringe,” McElwain said. “But that is not to say that is what they died from.”

Four ferrets who survived were brought in for examinations at the Washington State University veterinary clinic in Pullman on Wednesday.

One had a puncture wound that could have been made by a sharp object, said WSU veterinarian Dr. Eric Stauber. The wound would not have come from a bite, he said.

“This is a horrible, horrible thing,” Stauber said. “I can’t believe someone could do this.”

The other three ferrets were in good condition Wednesday, Stauber said.

Smith, who has bred ferrets for nearly 25 years, told police the animals had been caged in a locked building before they were found dead. There were no visible signs of forced entry into the building, Cottam said.

, DataTimes