40,000 Animals Vanish Overnight... Which Creatures Disappeared from a US Farm?

Mass Escape of 25,000-40,000 Mink from Ohio Farm
Animal Liberation Front Suspected of Deliberate Release
80% Returned to Farm but Scheduled for Culling Due to Disease Risk

[Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] An incident occurred at a farm in Ohio, USA, where up to 40,000 mink escaped. The farm suspects that an animal rights group trespassed on the farm, opened the cages, and released the mink without permission.

According to CNN on the 18th (local time), recently at Lion Farms, a mink breeding farm in Van Wert, Ohio, between 25,000 and 40,000 mink escaped in the middle of the night.

The police expressed concern that the hungry mink roaming the neighborhood might prey on pets or small livestock. Mink, belonging to the Mustelidae family, are known opportunistic hunters in the wild, feeding on mice, rabbits, frogs, fish, crayfish, and crabs. There are also worries that the population of certain animals preyed upon by the escaped mink may decline, causing a negative domino effect on the local ecosystem.

The Van Wert County Sheriff's Office stated, "Despite their cute and friendly appearance, mink have a fierce temperament," and added, "It should be remembered that they are omnivorous mammals that eat live animals." They also said, "If mink are found in houses or private properties, necessary measures such as setting traps or culling are allowed." However, they noted, "Mink accustomed to farm life are considered livestock," and added, "(These mink) lack survival skills in the wild and will likely struggle to survive."

Currently, about 80% of the escaped mink have returned to the farm. However, all of them are scheduled to be culled due to the high likelihood that the mink that left the cages may have contracted diseases.

This incident is believed to have occurred because someone trespassed on the farm and deliberately opened the cage doors. The farm pointed to the animal rights group Animal Liberation Front (ALF) as the culprit, based on spray paint graffiti left on the farm. Previously, ALF had also revealed that they released 1,000 mink at a farm in Massillon, Ohio, on the 8th. According to The New York Times (NYT), mink farms in the U.S. have been major targets of animal rights groups for decades.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.