Animal activists allegedly released between up to 40,000 minks from a rural northwest Ohio farm on Tuesday, with an estimated 10,000 of the small carnivorous mammals still on the run.
“If they survive, if they can feed themselves and stay warm with the winter upcoming, they are gonna wreak havoc on, you know, populations of the small game, for sure,” said resident Zavier Buzard, who witnessed a mink devouring a squirrel with its “face chewed off.”
The Ohio Department of Agriculture said that although minks are not dangerous to people, they “regularly hunt prey bigger than themselves. As a result, they can be a bothersome pest for homeowners, livestock owners, and property managers.” Moreover, the Department of Agriculture stated that minks pose a financial risk to poultry farmers in particular.
The minks originally came from Lion Farms USA Mink Farm in Van Wert, Ohio. Although the employees were able to corral many minks within their property, fugitive minks are still running loose through Ohio.
In order to mitigate the damage to the ecosystem of Ohio, mink hunters were deployed throughout Hoaglin Township. “Mink 2022,” said one hunter as he smiled and held up his kill.
Another hunter traversing along the edge of some brush told reporters, “We’ve walked this strip two or three times now. And they just keep popping out.”
Hundreds of the fugitive minks, unaware of their environment, have been slain by cars while crossing the street, leading local authorities to push the mink carcasses from the road with a plow.
The incident is currently under investigation by local authorities. However, the property owner has alleged that the animal rights group Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is responsible for the mink’s release.
The people responsible spray painted along the side of the building, “ALF We’ll be back.” ALF has celebrated the release and disputed claims that the mink will decimate the small game of Ohio.
“Captive, now free and wild mink disperse quickly and are semi-aquatic animals who have no desire to be anywhere near humans and their “livestock” or pets. There may be some minimal impact on the local ecosystems temporarily while the animals disperse and learn their way around, but no habitats are decimated or overrun or rendered free of other small animals,” the organization claimed.
The ALF continued to explain, “The Animal Liberation Front … utilize economic sabotage in addition to the direct liberation of animals from conditions of abuse and imprisonment to halt needless animal suffering.”
The sheriff urged the public not to approach the mink and to contact the farm or trappers for recapturing. Residents who want to hunt or trap mink must understand the relevant rules and exemptions that apply in their area.
