2,000 mink released from Iowa farm in what trade group calls ‘terrorist act’
One or more intruders broke into an Iowa mink farm and released 2,000 fur-bearing animals in what a trade group called a “terrorist act” under federal law.
The U.S. Fur Commission said that between Monday night and Tuesday morning, fences were cut and pens and nesting boxes were destroyed to release minks raised for their pelts. The farm is near Woodbine, Iowa, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Des Moines.
Fur Commission USA Executive Director Challis Hobbs said Friday morning that just over 60 percent of the mink had been rescued, but time was running out to find them all before they succumbed to threats in the wild.
People have similarly attacked mink farms and been charged under the Federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which designates anyone who tries to disrupt or destroy an animal operation as a terrorist, Hobbs said.
Approximately 275 mink farms operate in 23 states in the United States, producing approximately 3 million pelts worth more than $300 million annually, according to the U.S. Fur Commission.
Hobbs said one to two mink releases occur on U.S. farms each year. He said the reason was probably compassion.
“We see over and over again that when they release captive-bred, farm-raised mink into the wild in this way, especially in such numbers, it does the exact opposite by harming the animals,” he said.
If mink are not rescued within 24 to 48 hours, the majority will die without access to food, clean water and shelter, he said. Hobbs said farms must comply with standards for humane treatment and euthanasia of animals.
Hobbs said some of the released minks attacked and killed some ducks and geese that the farmer was raising for repopulation efforts.
Hobbs said the farmer, his son and grandson were still collecting mink, and more than a dozen live traps were placed and routinely checked.
Harrison County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Todd Denton declined to comment on the investigation. Through Hobbs, the farmer declined to be interviewed.
Advocates for the Animal Legal Defense Fund did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Dura reported from Bismarck, North Dakota.
