Mustelids tend to be portrayed as either a problem or a product, leading many of us to underestimate them in ways that are irrelevant to their perceived “viciousness” or “cuteness.” While we may recognise animals such as canines, equines, and homing pigeons for their societal contributions, mustelids have also historically played an important role for both humanity and their species. This page honours past and present mustelids that merit remembrance for their contributions.

#1 Felicia

While they are most commonly viewed as pets, ferrets have often worked alongside and aided man-kind throughout history.

One of the early challenges Fermilab faced with the construction of its particle accelerator was removing stray, steel particles from the miles of tubing that made up the main ring of the particle accelerator. Their first solution came in the form of a small female ferret named Felicia.

Felicia was outfitted with a special collar that allowed her to pull a string through sections of the pipe without introducing any further obstructions. Femilab workers then attached a cleaning swap to the other end of the string and pulled it through the section of pipe to clean it.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

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Miscellaneous