Not long ago we had a call from a local veterinary clinic reporting that a baby longtail weasel had just been dropped off. A family in El Paso's upper valley area had found the animal on their porch. They assumed that it was a baby ferret. The clinic delivered the little weasel to C.D.W.R.

While "Willie" was weaned, he was not yet old enough to make it on his own. Also, he was not getting the necessary training from his parents to survive in the wild. C.D.W.R. did have hopes that he could, eventually, be returned to his natural habitat along the Rio Grande..

Several months later, and accident left his cage unsecured one evening. The next morning Willie was gone. All that could be done was to wish him the best of luck and hope that his instincts would provide him the hunting skills he would need to survive.

About 5 days later Willie voluntarily returned to captivity. He must have missed his cozy quarters and daily room service. He has remained in captivity ever since.

Is Willie a pet? Absolutely not! He tolerates humans and is very curious about them. However, that is about as familiar as he wants to get with his human providers. He bites viciously if a hand gets too close and will not allow himself to be held. He, as with his cousin the skunk, can express his displeasure in a rather odiferous manner. He does not hesitate to use his chemical warfare weapon if he feels the least bit provoked. However, unlike the skunk, he gives no warning before he lets go.