City health officials failed to overturn a 16-year ban on ferrets Tuesday — saying they were fearful the critters could weasel their way through crevices and escape because of their “unique skeletal structure.”
“We heard about the unique skeletal structure of ferrets that allows them to squeeze through very small crevices,” said Board of Health member Dr. Lynne Richardson, who voted against the measure.
Board of Health members voted 3-2-2 Tuesday morning to reject a proposal to legalize the musky mammals despite receiving 415 public comments in support.
Six votes were needed for the measure’s approval.
Richardson said she was worried that a ferret could slip through a crack in a home — and wind up biting an unattended infant.
Ferret fan David Gaines said he was disappointed over the vote.
“There’s no evidence of mass escaping of ferrets into apartment buildings,” Gaines said.
Decriminalizing the furry mammals would have required owners to sterilize their rodents, give them rabies shots, and leash them when outdoors.
Ferrets have been banned in the city since 1999 but they are legal to own in New York state.
Last May, Mayor Bill de Blasio signaled that the city would permit the slinky critters, reversing then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s ferret fatwa.
The ban ignited a public spat between David Guthartz, who heads New York Ferret’s Rights Advocacy group, and Giuliani, who told the rodent lover he should “consult a psychologist” about “how you are devoting your life to weasels.”