About Us
About us - Fundraising - History
The Western Australian Ferret & Ferreting Society is the oldest and largest ferret welfare organisation in Australia. Founded in 1981, our club has members in all states of Australia as well as overseas. Our main reason for being is to provide education and assistance to our members and the general public on the health and welfare of ferrets and we try to keep abreast of current issues so we can continue to do this job in an efficient and acceptable manner. A wide range of services is available to our members, including:
FERRET NECESITIES SHOP:
WAFFS "shop" began in 1992, serving our members with a limited range of ferret products at very low prices. At the beginning of 1996 it was decided we needed a name representative of the growing range of products we were able to offer to our members and "Ferret Necessities was born.
Through the members' dedication and support of both their Society and their shop, Ferret Necessities has grown to become an asset all members are proud of and stocks everything from the basics, such as food, bowls, litter, grooming aids, hammocks, bedding, harnesses and toys, to more unusual and exotic items of jewellery, clothing and toy ferrets for the members themselves.
The range of stock carried by Ferret Necessities is constantly being improved and you will always find something new with which to spoil your ferrets or yourself.
MEETINGS:
Meetings are held are no longer held on the Mondays they will now be held at events at Jackadder Lake. Topics of meetings are usually related to ferrets or ferreting. The meetings are very social evenings, ferrets are most welcome to accompany you and there is ample opportunity to exchange ideas with other members.
For details about upcoming meetings / events, please see the "Upcoming Events" page, under Forums.
NEWSLETTER:
The newsletter of our Society is sent to members every two months and contains news and stories from our members, details of coming events and information about ferret health and husbandry.
HEALTH SERVICES:
Through our Society we can organise services such as sterilisation, immunisation and boarding of your pets when needed. Members of the committee can give advice on health issues and are able to refer you to a "ferret friendly vet" in your area.
FERRET RESCUE SERVICE:
Our Society responds to calls from members of the public, RSPCA and other welfare organisations to collect found ferrets and keep them safely until claimed or re-homed. Anyone losing a ferret should ring our Ferret Rescue Co-ordinator on 1300 133 323 and you will receive advice on what procedures to follow. Ferrets which are not claimed after being advertised in the local newspapers for two weeks, are found homes within the Ferret Society.
LIBRARY:
Our Society has a library from which members are able to borrow items at meetings. We continue to purchase the latest books and tapes about ferrets and ferret related subjects. Past newsletters are also available for viewing as well as newsletters from interstate ferret clubs.
FERRET RACES:
Ferret Races are held in June/July each year. Ferrets are raced down PVC pipes, with the first to emerge from the other end being the winner. Various categories apply. Ferrets love running through small tunnels and seem to have as much fun as their owners!
FERRET SHOW:
All ferret owners know that they have the best ferret in the world, so our ferret shows, held in August each year, are more for fun than anything else. With categories such as the longest tail, the biggest ears, the smallest feet and the not-so-pretty face, etc., there are certificates and prizes to be won but everyone has a really good time.
FIELD DAYS:
Field days of either a weekend or a week are held at various locations in the country at times during the cooler months. Whilst these are also very social occasions, the aim of these events is to help people who have not been ferreting before, to learn the correct techniques and to give the experienced ferreter a chance to practise and share their hunting skills.
CALENDAR:
Each year, WAFFS and our "ferret photographer", Eric Anderson produce a quality calendar featuring gorgeous portraits of Australian ferrets. All proceeds from the calendar go directly to the club.
Eric Anderson Photography
If you require any further details about our Society, please 'phone WAFFS on 1300 133 323 or any member of the committee listed within this site.
To join the Ferret Society, you can either request a form to be mailed out to you or you can download the form from the Resources section and post it to the address shown thereon.
We are an incorporated association.
FUNDRAISING ........................................................................
We do fundraising for both the WAFFS general fund, as well as the Ferret Medic-Aid fund for rescued ferrets.
Fundraising efforts include raffles, donations, as well as competitions such as jelly bean guessing!
Attending one of our events, is the best way to be involved; otherwise please contact us.
HISTORY ...................................................................................
WAFFS was established in 1981 mainly as a social club for ferret owners. As the popularity of ferrets grew, so too did the need for more up-to-date knowledge about them and a means to share that information.
WAFFS has been operating in its present form since 1993 and has a current membership base of around 230 families with our members living not only North and South of the River in the metropolitan area, but in many towns throughout Western Australia as well as in the Eastern States and overseas.
The voice of the Society is our newsletter, "Ferreting Around", which is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always informative and is produced and posted out to members every two months.
Today we are still a very social, family oriented club, holding Ferret Races and a Ferret Show annually and having Picnics in the Park, Field Days at rural locations and an end-of-year Christmas Party.
General meetings are now held at events at Jackadder Lake. Visitors and ferrets are always welcome at these meetings.
Although the larger portion of the resources of our Club is used in the many and varied programmes we undertake to educate members of the public on the care and welfare of ferrets and the nature and needs of this delightful creature, by far the most needed service introduced by our Society was our Ferret Rescue Service.
FERRET RESCUE was formed by the Western Australian Ferret Society in 1992. Prior to there being a Ferret Rescue service, people who found ferrets would never realise that they were someone's much loved pet and would either just keep them or sell them to someone else. The RSPCA, because there was no Ferret Rescue, would either pass them on to a pet shop or a wildlife sanctuary as no-one knew what to do with them.
Based upon the fact that all ferrets should be called HOUDINI, because if there is a way to escape they will find it, we at the Western Australian Ferret & Ferreting Society realised the need to have a rescue service because we all knew that if one of our pets escaped we would certainly want to have them back and the public needed to have a central Rescue Service available to call if and when they had a ferret wander into their backyard or bedroom. In two out of three cases now, found ferrets are re-united with their owners and those which are not claimed are given "free to a good home" with a member of the Society. (Ferret Rescue is a voluntary service and, depending upon what costs may have been incurred, a very small fee may be charged to the owners when their pet is claimed ).
It has taken a lot of time and hard work by our Society to have Ferret Rescue recognised for the welfare service that it is and the RSPCA, CALM, local Council Rangers and many Veterinary Clinics throughout the metropolitan and country areas now work very closely with us. For details on how our Ferret Rescue service works please refer to the Ferret Rescue information page and, should you need the help of this service, you will always reach us on 1300 133 323 for the cost of a local telephone call.
The dissemination of accurate information about ferret care remains a vital Ferret Society function and information sheets about ferrets and the Ferret Society are available upon request.
Health care of ferrets is also very important to the Society and, as a service to our members, sterilisation and vaccinations are available at reduced rates. Committee members keep abreast of all current health issues in order to give advice on health care when requested and are able to refer you to a "ferret friendly vet" in your area.
Members of WAFFS can always be found at various public events, such as the Pet Expo, throughout the year and are always willing to show and talk about their ferrets and answer any questions you may have.
WAFFS' SHOP was born in 1992, but became "Ferret Necessities" in 1996 following a "think tank" session held by the then members of the committee (Dianne Rohowicz, Amanda Prestney, David Dawson, Shirley Hewett, Betty Dawson, Sue Tillemans and John Cameron) to come up with a name representative of the growing range of ferret related products we were able to provide for our members.
Since that time, thanks entirely to the members' dedication and support, "Ferret Necessities" has grown into an asset which all members are proud to call their own and carries stock of everything from the basics such as food, bowls, litter, grooming aids, harnesses, bedding, hammocks and toys, to more unusual and exotic items of jewellery, clothing and toy ferrets for our ferrets' owners.
The range of stock in our "Ferret Necessities" shop is growing constantly and you will always find that little something extra with which to spoil your ferret/s just a little more.
For further information on any ferret related subject, please call one of the contact numbers listed or refer to the appropriate fact sheet set out within this site.
President and Committee Western Australian Ferret & Ferreting Society Inc.