• Germany edition
Photo: DPA

Mob of marauding minks snacking on woodland creatures

Published: 19 Mar 10 11:19 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100319-25981.html

Thousands of minks are marauding through the Brandenburg countryside, killing chickens and woodland creatures after suspected animal activists released thousands from a fur farm.

Police said they are still searching for those responsible for the break-in at the farm in Frankenförde, which resulted in the release of 4,000 minks last Sunday evening.

About 2,000 of the weasel-like carnivores have been captured, but the other half have been snacking freely on local farm fowl, wild birds and other small animals, police reported.

Meanwhile the mink farm owner Alfons Grosser has filed charges for €180,000 in property damage and unlawful entry while saying there was no way to measure the impact to the region's ecosystem.

According to Grosser, the rampaging pack of mink requires about one tonne of food in just three days.

German nature protection association (NABU) said the release of so many mink is an environmental catastrophe.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

11:59 March 19, 2010 by Edmond Schindler
Catchy title, no pun intended. Cute little marauding murdering minks I must say.
12:23 March 19, 2010 by Clapoti
Idiotic activists not fully thinking before doing something like that.
12:46 March 19, 2010 by AirForceGuy
Hopefully, one of the (soon to be) rabid minks will bite a well-meaning animal activist and all will be fine...
14:06 March 19, 2010 by Frenemy
That one looks more like a domesticated ferret (Mustela p. furo) than a clothing/fashion variety mink (Mustela lutreola).

...they make for fun pets (maybe some of 'em will be adopted)
04:00 March 20, 2010 by Cincinnatus
Is there a market for coats made of animal activist pelts?
09:27 March 20, 2010 by girlsforscience
Oh no! Theyre going to have to do something about it. Trapping? Hunting? Baiting? I think this is very unfortunate.
14:32 March 20, 2010 by Bruno53
Good example to show the stupidity of the animal rights idiots we got. Hope they try "to save" the salt water crocodile in the Pacific. The crocodile would love to have them as lunch.
17:11 March 20, 2010 by Talonx
I'm not about to defend idiocy, which is why I would also like to damn the mink-fur industry, worthless redundant line of business that deserves criticism just as much as those few fools who let the minks run loose. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that mink farming is overall more harmful to the economy and environment than letting the minks run loose.
04:48 March 22, 2010 by petrag
Such fools! Tried to help animals and hurt so many in the process. Animals need smart allies!
07:55 March 22, 2010 by Zobirdie
As unPC as this is, I don't have an issue with wearing farmed animal coats. But I don't really like trapping wild creatures for fur. I eat farmed meat, I wear farmed leather and I could telll you things about the chemical processes in making many synthetic fabrics that would horrify. (many can't even be made in North America or Western Europe as they are so toxic!)

But in the case with minks, specifically... Minks killed a beloved family pet of my sisters, so I think it should be open season on the rotters. They didn't even eat him, they just ripped off his head and pulled of his feet. They really are nasty creatures. I can only imagine what they are doing to the creatures where they have been released.

I hope this fiasco makes the animal rights activists open their eyes. Or... maybe one of the minks will get them! :)
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