Robert Wang
Canton Repository
Key Points:
- Fur Commission USA says about 2,000 mink were released at a Massillon-area mink farm late July 2 or early July 3.
- An organization called the North American Animal Liberation Press office said activists were responsible for the mass mink release.
- The Stark County Sheriff’s office has not yet confirmed what happened at the mink farm.
Mink cages, Tonn Farm, 2022
Trespassers targeted a mink farm in the Massillon area late July 2 or early July 3, cut through a fence and released about 2,000 mink, the Fur Commission USA said.
The Stark County Sheriff’s Office said deputies July 3 responded to an incident at a mink farm in the Massillon area. But it said it could not immediately confirm the details in the statement issued by Fur Commission USA.
The Fur Commission USA statement did not identify the mink farm or give an exact location. It said a father and son operate the farm, and they are seeking with family members, employees and neighbors to recover the escaped mink. The statement said the Stark County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are investigating.
An FBI spokeswoman in Cleveland said she would seek to confirm the incident and whether the FBI is assisting.
The statement by Fur Commission USA called the release an “animal rights terrorist attack” and “criminal act that harmed animals, put farm families at risk and broke the law.”
Fur Commission USA said the mink wouldn’t survive more than 48 hours in the wild. And that “mink farming is legal, ethical and humane.”
“These attacks destroy property, threaten livelihoods, and leave families fearing for their safety,” the statement said.
An organization that calls itself the North American Animal Liberation Press Office on July 3 said activists “liberated” 2,000 mink at the Massillon-area property.
“The animals liberated last night have a fighting chance at life; they faced a 100% death rate if they stayed on the farm,” the organization said. “… Every action carried out by the Animal Liberation Front is an act of compassion, with the only intent to save the lives of sentient creatures.”
The statement added, “Liberationists break the law in adherence to a higher law – one which states animals are not commodities, not objects, but sentient creatures with a right to live. They will fight for the lives of these animals as if they were our own.”
The Fur Commission USA said the incident is the latest in a pattern of vandalism and harassment of mink farms across the U.S. The agency said it is working with law enforcement and stands ready to assist farmers with tools and technology to help protect their farms.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.