How long have ferrets been domesticated?
No one knows for sure. One article by Dr. Freddie Hoffman, from the FDA Veterinarian May/June 1991 Vol VI, No. III, states that “Domestication of the European ferret predates that of the cat by more than 500 years,” and that “Man’s use of the ferret as a hunter of rodents and rabbits can be traced back as far as the 4th century B.C.” Despite much confusion, however, the current belief is that ferrets are not mentioned in the Bible. Early translations, including the older King James versions, translate one particular word in Leviticus as “ferret,” but the modern King James and most other new translations have rejected this as an error, instead using “gecko” or “lizard”. Nevertheless, it is clear from other archaeological and historical sources that ferrets have been domesticated for quite a while, at least 2500 years. According to information from Bob Church, ferrets were mentioned in 450-425 BC in plays by Aristophanes, by Aristotle around 350 BC, and by Pliny in AD 79, for example. Bo
