Ferret-legging

Endurance test or stunt

Ferret legging was an endurance test or stunt in which ferrets were trapped in trousers worn by a participant. Also known as put 'em down and ferret down trousers, it seems to have been popular among coal miners in Yorkshire, England. Contestants put live ferrets inside their trousers; the winner is the one who is the last to release the animals. Ferret legging may have originated during the time when only the relatively wealthy in England were allowed to keep animals used for hunting, forcing poachers to hide their illicit ferrets in their trousers. Following a brief resurgence in popularity during the 1970s, it has been described as a "dying sport", Competitors cannot be drunk or drugged, nor can the ferrets be sedated. which must allow the ferrets free access from one leg to the other, and the ferrets must have a full set of teeth that must not have been filed or otherwise blunted. The winner is the person who lasts the longest. The sport is said to involve very little "native skill", An attempt to introduce a female version of the sport—ferret busting, in which female contestants introduced ferrets down their blouses—proved unsuccessful.

The origin of ferret legging is disputed. The sport seems to have become popular among coal miners in Yorkshire, England, in the 1970s, According to Marlene Blackburn of the Richmond Ferret Rescue League, ferret legging originated in public houses "where patrons would bet on who could keep a ferret in his pants the longest." Katz described ferrets as "having claws like hypodermic needles and teeth like number 16 carpet tacks". James Howard of The Fresno Bee said Katz failed to explain why anyone would want to participate in a sport such as ferret legging, but the article "offers a glimpse into the human need to challenge the edges of human endurance".

In 1972, the ferret legging record stood at 40 seconds. A few years later, the record had risen to over one minute, and eventually to 90 minutes. In 1977, Edward Simpkins from the Isle of Wight set the new world record of five hours and ten minutes, although he only had one ferret in his trousers during the first four hours and two for the last seventy minutes. Simpkins sustained two large bites during his record breaking attempt, but continued to play a game of darts undeterred. Retired miner Reg Mellor, from Barnsley, set the new world record time of five hours and twenty six minutes on 5 July 1981 at the Annual Pennine Show at Holmfirth, Yorkshire. He had practised the sport since his youth, but had received no recognition until he set the new world record. Mellor, who had hunted with ferrets in the dales outside Barnsley for many years, had grown accustomed to keeping them in his trousers to keep them warm and dry when out working in the rain. Mellor's "trick" was to ensure that the ferrets were well fed before they were inserted into his trousers. After five hours, most of the attendees had become bored and left; workmen arrived to dismantle the stage, despite Mellor's protests that he was on his way to a new record. According to Adrian Tame of the Sunday Herald Sun, Mellor retired after that experience, "disillusioned and broken hearted," but with his dignity and manhood intact.

[[File:Buffy teeth. jpg|thumb|200px|Despite their sharp teeth, ferrets have been called "generally  harmless, fun loving creatures" by people associated with the sport. annual competitions were held at the Richmond Highland Games & Celtic Festival in Richmond, Virginia from 2003 through 2009. In 2007 the Manitoba Ferret Association held a ferret legging competition in St. Vital Park, Winnipeg, to raise money in support of the organization's shelter for homeless ferrets. Marlene Blackburn, who works with the Ferret Rescue League to ensure that no ferrets are harmed in the sport, claims that during the years the competitions have been held in Richmond no contestant has ever been bitten, although some may get a few scratches. and Louis Mahoney of the Richmond Times Dispatch said it is "sure to bring a laugh." Cracked listed it as the fifth "most baffling" sport in the world. The Atlanta Journal's Scott Bernarde commented that anyone who has tried ferret legging "will agree that falling off a mountain isn't all that bad." American sportswriter Rick Reilly of ESPN tried ferret legging as part of his quest to find "the world's dumbest sport" for a book published in 2010. Mellor made a brief appearance in the 1976 television documentary presented by actor and wrestler Brian Glover entitled It's no joke living in Barnsley, in which he demonstrated ferret legging. In November 1992, the J. Walter Thompson advertising firm produced television commercials for the California State Lottery that compared keno with ferret legging. One of the commercials concludes that keno "as you can imagine, is lots better than a ferret in your trousers."