Mink farm break-ins

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Two recent breaks-in the St. Mary’s area have re-ignited the debate over the fur trade.  The Canadian mink breeders association is offering a $100 000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for breaking into the farms and releasing more than 8000 mink.

They are cute, and soft, which is why Canadian mink is both valuable and controversial.  Last Tuesday night the controversy came right to Kirk Rankin’s farm when a group broke in and released over 6 000 animals. About one fifth of his stock.

“It makes you sick and angry all at the same time.”

The group went to the back of the farm and cut the fence, moving to the nearest few cages and releasing as many animals as possible.

Last May a similar break in happened at another farm near by. In that break in 16 000 mink were released. No one has taken credit, but it is suspected that animal rights activists are to blame.

So regardless of what you may think of the fur industry Kirk Rankin argues that they do their job in as humane a fashion as possible, and he argues that those who let out these mink are the ones who are being cruel.

“They do something stupid, and then they try to tell you that they’re doing the mink a favour which is nothing but a bold faced lie.”

Make no mistake, these animals will be killed for their coats.  Rankin explains that they are euthanized with carbon dioxide gas.  But he says, that fate is much better than if they are freed.

“Ever since they’ve been born every meal has been brought to them.  They don’t know how to hunt, so if they don’t die of starvation then probably just the whether and lack of water.”

After the break in he discovered that two had been trampled, and a few others were found dead in the field behind his farm.  He says that most of the mink who were released stayed on the farm.  In all just under 150 were lost, and even today, he was finding more.  Rankins family has owned this farm since the 1940’s he says that he accepts that not everyone likes fur.

“No one makes em buy fur and wear it.  If they don’t want to they don’t have to.”

But he doesn’t accept the break in.  Originally the reward from the Canadian mink breeders association was $75 000, that was increased to $100 000 on Monday.