Ferret Legging - Origin

Origin

The origin of ferret legging is disputed. The sport seems to have become popular among coal miners in Yorkshire, England, in the 1970s, though some Scots claim it gained popularity in Scotland. 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." The sport may alternatively have originated during the time when only the relatively wealthy in England were allowed to keep ferrets used for hunting, forcing the animal poachers to hide their illicit ferrets in their trousers to avoid detection by gamekeepers. This was also done by poachers and hunters to keep the animals warm in the cold weather.

The pastime gained attention in a humorous article written by Don Katz, entitled "King of the Ferret Leggers," in the October 1987 issue of Outside magazine. 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". Smoky Mountain News's Jay Hardwig commented that Katz' article is "proof that Outside runs some of the best features in the business." In 1995, Katz claimed that he still hears from people about the ferret legging article, "It was one of those things that I wrote in one morning, but people pass it around like a Victorian poem. It's got a cult following."