We heard some disturbing news last night about yet another fur farm that was sabotaged by animal rights activists, releasing thousands of mink into the wild. 😞 One might expect us to be supportive of these kinds of actions, but releasing animals from fur farms isn’t good for the individual animals or for the species as a whole.
Mink have been raised in captivity for their fur for over a century. They are in many ways very different from their wild cousins, with traits that can be a problem in the wild. They are less fearful of predators, have lower prey drive, have smaller brains, and carry colors like white and silver that can make them stand out to predators and prey. After 50 or more generations of being bred and raised without access to water, these naturally aquatic animals might end up in the wild having lost their speed and agility in the water and their ability to hunt fish and crayfish.
When thousands of captive-bred mink are released, nearly all of them will die in a matter of weeks. Some will be eaten by predators after never encountering them before, or will wander with confusion into traffic. Many will get into fatal fights with one another when no longer confined to cages but still in unnaturally dense numbers. Most will simply starve to death after spending a lifetime in a metal box eating only unnatural foods, without ever learning to hunt.
The fate of the few survivors isn’t much better. Captive-bred mink introduce diseases like flu and COVID-19 to the wild, with potentially catastrophic results that can eventually spread to other species. If they reproduce, they can introduce unnatural genes to the area, either outcompeting wild mink or reducing the quality of the gene pool. In some areas, American mink are not native and can begin reproducing as an invasive species. None of this is acceptable.
We’re glad that people love mink and want to end fur farms, but releasing captive-bred animals to the wild is not the answer. Please voice your compassion for mink by boycotting fur, supporting your local rescues, and writing your congressman. Throwing helpless animals into the wild isn’t the answer.
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue 