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FRUSTRATED BY THEIR FAILURE to sell their agendas to society at large, animal rights and environmental extremists now seek to impose their views through violence and terrorism. Responsibility for many of these crimes has been claimed by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF), underground organizations that began in Britain and have now spread to the U.S. The Federal Bureau of Investigation classifies both as "domestic terrorist" groups.
Following is a sampling of recent animal rights / ecoterror crimes. A selection of particularly costly crimes is available in the Farmers for Safe Farms flyer Animal Rights and Eco-Terrorism : The Price We Pay in PDF format.
Click here for pre-2000 crimes of animal extremism and eco-terror.
2009
May 18
Arsonists strike research supplier in Nevada
An arson fire guts the Reno business office of Scientific Resources International Inc., a supplier of monkeys for research. Damage: $300,000. Animal Liberation Front claims guilt.
Mar. 14
Mink farm raid
Netherlands: About 3,000 breeding females are released and abandoned at Walhout BV mink farm in Stavenisse, Zeeland Province. Almost all are recovered, but some are run over by cars. "DBF" grafitti is found. Dieren Bevrijdingsfront = Animal Liberation Front. April 2009: Peter Janssen is arrested.
Mar. 7
Researcher's car destroyed in California
A homemade incendiary device is used to destroy the unoccupied vehicle of UCLA neuroscientist David Jentsch. Animal rightists claim guilt in a statement issued through the North American Animal Liberation Press Office.
Feb. 25
Birds killed in zoo attack
Italy: Bottles of petrol are used to start a fire at the private Zoom Zoo, near Turin. About 40 hawks, buzzards and owls in an aviary are killed. ALF grafitti is found.
Feb. 9
Mink farm raid
Italy: About 3,000 mink are released and abandoned at Italo Rossi farm in Fossoli, near Modena. ALF grafitti is found.
Jan. 4
Natural gas company bombed for fourth time
Canada: A bomb destroys a wall of a shed housing a sour gas pipe. The facility, near Dawson Creek, BC, belongs to energy company EnCana. The attack is the fourth in three months., east of leaving a 2-meter crater in the ground but no leak. (Related article. See also Oct. 12-31, 2008)
2008
Nov. 27
Poultry farm raid
Finland: A chicken farm is raided in Narpio. Eggs are broken and electric equipment broken, causing the ventilation system to malfunction. Up to 5,000 of the 26,000 chickens die from lack of air. Graffiti is found of the letters "EVR", the Finnish abbreviation for the Animal Liberation Front.
Nov. 20
Researchers' cars destroyed in California
Two vehicles are torched by terrorists targeting Goran Lacan, a researcher who uses animals at UCLA. But the attackers got the address wrong. ALF claims guilt.
Oct. 17
Mink farm raid in Oregon
Trespassers open 1,000 pens at Ylipetto's Fur Farm in Astoria. About half the mink stay in the pens, and most that leave are recovered, but there are at least 35 casualties, mostly victims of dogs.
Oct. 15
Mink farm raid
Canada: Some 3,000 mink are released and abandoned from Labonte ranch in Thedford Mines, Quebec.
Oct. 12-31
Natural gas pipeline bombed three times
Canada: A bomb explodes on Oct. 12 beneath a gas pipeline belonging to energy company EnCana, east of Dawson Creek, BC, leaving a 2-meter crater in the ground but no leak. (Related article) A second bomb explodes on Oct. 16 causing a leak and forcing the company to close the pipeline. A third bomb explodes on Oct. 31 at a gas wellhead south of Dawson Creek. (Related article)
Sept. 21
Mink farm raid in Utah
Trespassers open pens and abandon 6,000 mink at Lodder Mink Farm in Kaysville, north of Salt Lake City. 90% are recovered. (Related article)
Sept. 4
Mink farm raid in Oregon
Trespassers open pens and abandon 215 mink at S&N Fur Farm in Scio. 177 are recovered. ALF claims guilt. (Related article)
Aug. 24
Mink farm raid
Canada: Trespassers break into Rippin's farm in Aldergrove, BC, and open about 6,000 pens. About 500 mink exit the guard fence, but virtually all are recovered. ALF claims guilt. The same farm was also attacked on Nov. 14, 1995. (Related article)
Aug. 19
Mink farm raided in Utah
Trespassers open about 800 pens at McMullin & Sons Fur Farm in South Jordan. The mink are abandoned. Most are recovered, but many die on highway. (Related article) Mar. 5, 2009: William Viehl and Alex Hall are indicted by Grand Jury.
Aug. 2
UCSC staffers attacked with firebombs
A firebomb goes off at 5:45 a.m., destroying a car belonging to a University of California Santa Cruz scientist. Four minutes later, another firebomb goes off at the home of Prof. David Feldheim, forcing evacuation of his family via ladder from the 2nd floor.
July 22
Mink farm raided
Germany: 3,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm in Schlesen, near Kiel. 95% of the animals are recovered.
July 3
Arsonists attack research animal supplier
France: An office building is torched and three trucks destroyed by incendiary devices at Charles River Laboratories, in Saint Germain sur l'Arbresle. Charles River supplies animals for research to Huntingdon Life Sciences.
June 29
GM maize fields destroyed
France: Three fields of genetically modified maize are destroyed at two sites, near Condom and near Mauroux, in southwest France.
June 3
Van torched at UCLA
An empty van belonging to the University of California at Los Angeles and used to transport faculty members is detroyed by fire. ALF claims guilt.
Apr. 21
Mink farm raided in OR
53 mink are released and abandoned at the Posch Fur Farm in Jefferson. All are recovered. ALF claims guilt.
Mar. 15 or 16
Mink farm raided
Ireland: Over 500 mink released from their pens at a farm in Vicarstown, Portlaoise. ALF graffiti found.
Mar. 3
Fires gut model homes
Five multi-million-dollar model homes are torched in the Seattle, Washington suburb of Bear Creek. ELF grafitti found.
Feb. 24
Invasion attempt at researcher's home
Six masked people attempt to enter by force the home of a biomedical researcher at UC Santa Cruz. The researcher's family, including two children, 2 and 8 years old, are home at the time.
Feb. 4
Fire set at scientist's house
An incendiary device is ignited on the porch of UCLA professor Edythe London's house in Westside, Los Angeles. London conducts animal research. On Oct. 20, 2007, the same house was flooded with a garden hose.
Jan. 23
Research staff poisoned
New Zealand: Two staff at Malaghan Institute, Victoria University, Wellington, drink milk spiked with formaldehyde. On Jan. 10, an e-mail warning had been received saying, "stop killing mice".
Jan. 14
Genetically engineered trees destroyed
New Zealand: About 20 genetically modified pine and spruce trees are felled at Scion research institute in Rotorua. A "GE Free New Zealand" sticker is left behind.
Jan. 6-7
Rabbit farm raided
UK: An overnight raid causes more than £70,000 in damage to Highgate Farm, Normanby-by-Spital, Lincolnshire. The farm supplies animals to Huntingdon Life Sciences. 129 rabbits are stolen, vehicles are damaged and ALF graffiti is found. Lewis Pogson is charged with blackmail, burglary and criminal damage.
2007
Nov. 28
Mink farm raid
Spain: 1,000 mink are released and abandoned near Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, the second time this farm has been targeted. In July 2005, the farm was raided by ALF.
Nov. 4
SUV window-smashing spree in Nevada
More than 30 SUVs have their rear windows smashed in southwestern Las Vegas Valley.
Nov. 1
Boars released from farm
UK: About 150 wild boar are released from Bramblewood Farm near Holsworthy, Cornwall. This was the second raid in a year, following the earlier release of 60 boar.
Oct. 28
Mink farm raid
Sweden: 3,000 mink are released and abandoned, and breeding cards stolen, at Ostergardens farm, near Skara. ALF claims guilt.
Oct. 20
Researcher's home flooded
A garden hose is used to flood the house in Westside, Los Angeles of UCLA Prof. Edythe London who uses monkeys to research nicotine addiction. ALF claims guilt. Estimated damage: $20,000 to $40,000.
Oct. 25
Mink farm raid
Germany: About 7,500 mink are released and abandoned at a farm in Grabow, Saxony-Anhalt.
Oct. 22
Mink farm raid
Denmark: 5,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm near Asp, northwest of Copenhagen.
Oct. 10
Feed tanker truck bombed
Norway: A feed tanker trunk is destroyed by two fire bombs with timers at the company Midt-Norsk For AL at Lade near Trondheim. Another truck is damaged and three other bombs are found.
Sept. 16
Mink farm raid
Canada: Between 5,000 and 6,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm in Harcourt, Newfoundland.
Aug. 31
Mink farm raid
Finland: 2,500 mink are released and abandoned near Vaasa.
Aug. 13
Mink farm raid in Massachusetts
500 mink are released at Carmel Fur Farm in Hinsdale. Many are killed on a nearby highway. Breeding records lost. Estimated damage: $75,000 to $100,000.
June 5
Mink farm attacked in Pennsylvania, dogs killed
The DeMatteis farm in Boyers is attacked at night. All 2,800 mink are released and abandoned. Most are recovered but 500 die. Two pet dogs killed. Damage: $40-50,000.
May 6
Arson at cattle farm
UK: Incendiary devices placed at Field Farm in Appleton, Oxfordshire. Two tractors, containers destroyed, some animals killed. ALF claims guilt, says £500,000 in damage.
Mar. 16
Sausage factory destroyed
Germany: The Fleischereikette sausage factory is burned down, and eight delivery trucks destroyed. Media report damage in the "millions of euros". ALF claims guilt.
March
Firebombs beneath SUVs in Colorado
During a four-day period, firebombs are placed beneath seven SUVs in upscale neighborhoods of Denver. Grant Barnes is charged.
February
Attempted arson at Oxford University
UK: Unexploded devices are detected at Templeton College, Oxford University. February 2009: Mel Broughton, leader of the anti-vivisection Speak campaign, is sentenced to 10 years. (See also Nov. 18, 2006; Related article)
Jan. 11
Slaughterhouse burned down
Spain: A slaughterhouse in Santa Comba, Galicia, is set ablaze. Damage to the building, refrigeration units and vehicles estimated at 5 million Euros. ALF suspected.
2006
Dec. 18
Bird farm raided in New Jersey
About 2,500 birds are released from Griggstown Quail Farm in Somerset County. All are believed to have died in traffic and from cold. ALF claims guilt. Damage: $80,000.
Nov. 18
Sports pavilion set ablaze
UK: Queen's College sports pavilion at Oxford University set alight. ALF claims guilt. (See also February 2007.)
Nov. 5
Mink farm raided
Spain: 1,400 mink released and abandoned at a farm in Ourense province, Galicia.
Oct. 28
Egg trucks bombed
UK: Six trucks loaded with eggs are destroyed by fire at Deans Foods, Cotswold Farm, near Witney, Oxfordshire. ALF claims guilt. Damage: 250,000 pounds.
Oct. 14
Mink farms raided
Spain: More than 17,000 mink are released and abandoned at three mink farms in Oza dos Rios (11,000), Muros (5,000), and Negreira, all in Galicia.
Sept. 13 (?)
Fish farm raided
UK: 15,000 halibut released at Kames Marine Fish Farm, near Oban. Boats, cranes and offices vandalized. ALF graffitti spray-painted. Thousands of dead fish later wash up along west Scotland. Damage: £500,000 +.
Sept. 11
Deer farm vandalized
UK: Hundreds of yards of fencing cut down at deer farm in Reediehill, Auchtermuchty, Fife, following similar attack March 22. Damage: £5,000 +.
Sept. 2
Fur farm raided
Russia: 30,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm owned by LLC Severnaya Pishnina in the Luzhsky district in the northwest of the country. Local ALF claims guilt. Damage: 10 million rubles (approx. $375,000).
Aug. 3
Dog racing track vandalized
UK: Vandals do £20,000 worth of damage at a greyhound racing track in Armadale, West Lothian, following £10,000 in damage in February. ALF graffiti found in both attacks.
July 27
Construction sites vandalized
Canada: Two sites belonging to Hayman Construction vandalized in London, Ontario, following C$100,000 of damage at three other sites and a car dealership in the city over the preceding week. ELF suspected.
July 14
Construction vehicles sabotaged
Canada: A dozen construction vehicles are sabotaged at condo development in Spadina, Toronto. ELF claims guilt. Damage: C$2 million.
June 30
Attempted firebombing of UCLA professor
UCLA professor Lynn Fairbanks targeted. Bomb left at neighbor's house by mistake, failed to ignite. Arson investigators say that if the device had functioned properly, escape would have been difficult to impossible for the 70-year-old neighbor. ALF claims guilt.
June 27
Arson at home construction
Canada: A home under construction is razed by fire in Guelph, Ontario. ELF claims guilt. Damage: C$200,000.
Apr. 29
Pet ferret farm attacked
USA: Pet ferrets are released, breeding records destroyed in Howard Lake, MN, in a case of mistaken identity for mink. ALF claims guilt.
March 25
Chicken farm raided
USA: 120 chickens are stolen from an egg farm in Litchfield, Connecticut. Anonymous communique claims they have been moved to a sanctuary.
March 22
Deer farm vandalized
UK: Hundreds of yards of fencing destroyed at Reediehill deer farm in Auchtermuchty, Fife. ALF graffiti found. (See also Sept. 11, 2006.)
January 27
Farmed fish released into reservoir
UK: 50,000 young trout farmed for angling are released into Bewl Water reservoir, Lamberhurst, Kent. Damage: 100,000 pounds.
January 17
Luxury house hit by arson
USA: A 9,600-square-foot house on Camano Island, Washington burns to the ground. Investigators find message claiming ELF guilt. Damage: $2 million.
2005
November 20
Housing development torched
USA: Four unoccupied townhouses are set alight at a new development in Hager's Crossing subdivision, Hagerstown, Maryland. One unit is destroyed. ELF claims guilt in e-mail to Associated Press. Damage: $225,000.
November 10 (approx.)
Salmon cages opened
Canada: Five nets are cut at two Cooke Aquaculture salmon cage sites in Deer Island, New Brunswick. 15,000 to 20,000 market-sized salmon escape. Damage: CAN $1 million.
November 2
Golf pro shop gutted in Ontario
Canada: The pro shop at Cutten Club, Guelph, is set ablaze. Spray-painted graffiti reads "ELF in support of special diet campaign." Damage: C$200,000.
October 3
Construction equipment vandalized in Montana
USA: Damage is discovered to construction equipment at the new Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware store in Bozeman. "ELF" is spray-painted. Damage: $3,000.
September 16 (?)
Mink farm raided
Norway: 3,500 mink are released and abandoned at a farm in Re, Vestfold, southwest of Oslo. Around 2,000 are recaptured. Dyrenes Frigjøringsfront (local ALF) claims guilt.
September 11
Landfill equipment vandalized in Maine
USA: A dozen large vehicles have their ignitions ripped out or superglue poured into them, tires slashed, fuel tanks tampered with, at West Old Town Landfill. "ELF" spray-painted on buildings. Damage: $30,000.
September 7
Bomb detonated at executive's home
UK: A device explodes at the home of GlaxoSmithKline executive in Beaconsfield, Bucks. The executive was out, but his wife and daughter were home. ALF claims guilt, condemning GSK for doing business with Huntingdon Life Sciences. ALF says the bomb comprised 2 litres of fuel and 4 lbs of explosives. Donald Currie later pleads guilty.
July 8
Logging site torched in New Hampshire
USA: Arsonists torch equipment on land owned by T.R. Dillon Logging in unincorporated town of Success. Damage: $500,000.
July 8
Mink farm raided
Spain: 35,000 mink are released at a farm in Lavacolla. All but 500 are recovered. Frente de Liberacion Animal claims guilt.
July 4
Oxford University boathouse burned down
UK: Arsonists destroy 24 boats and much of the interior of Hertford College boathouse, in protest at the building of a new primate laboratory at the university. Damage: £500,000. ALF claims guilt.
May 26
Proposed monkey housing vandalized in Pennsylvania
USA: Peonyland nursery, in Richland Township, Bucks County, has 1,000 plants destroyed (including some rare breeds), paint stripper poured on two vehicles, and ALF graffiti spray-painted on buildings. The nursery had bid to provide housing for monkeys destined for research laboratories. ALF claims guilt. Damage: tens of thousands of dollars.
April 13
Homes firebombed in Washington
USA: Arsonists burn one house under construction, attempt another, in Sammamish, east of Seattle. Outside second house is banner reading "Where are all the trees? Burn, rapists, burn," and signed ELF. Damage: $300,000.
April 1
Illinois fox farm raided
USA: The pens of 58 pregnant or nursing female foxes are opened at a farm in Bluffs. ALl the animals are recovered. ALF claims guilt. (Related article)
March
North Dakota construction site torched
USA: A construction site in Moorhead is set alight. James Tucker is sentenced to 43 months on Oct. 18, 2005. At sentencing, he thanks the judge on behalf of ELF.
February 7
Arsonists strike California apartment complex
USA: Seven arson fires are set at a new apartment complex, Pinewoods Apartment Homes, in Sutter Creek, Amador County. Two apartment units extensively damaged. "We Will Win - ELF" is spray-painted at the scene. Damage: $50,000.
February 6
McDonald's vandalized in California
USA: Windows are smashed and slogans - McMurder Killers" and "ALF" - are painted at McDonald's in Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance.
January 12
Another California construction site targeted
USA: Five incendiary devices with timers are found inside an Auburn, Placer County office building under construction. The devices could have destroyed the entire complex. FBI connects incident to December 27 attempted arson. ELF claims guilt. Ryan Lewis convicted, October 2005.
2004
December 27
California construction site targeted
USA: Incendiary devices with timers are found inside three homes under construction in Lincoln, Placer County. ELF claims guilt. Ryan Lewis sentenced to 6 years in jail, Eva and Lili Holland to 2 years.
November 14
Iowa University lab ransacked, animals released
USA: More than 400 animals, including rats, mice and pigeons are relased in the psychology department, more than 30 computers and three offices damaged, hazardous chemicals deliberately spilled. Damage and losses: $450,000. ALF claims guilt.
November 14
Kansas KFCs vandalized
USA: Three KFCs in Topeka have their locks glued, while two also have their order box speakers vandalized. ALF claims guilt..
November 12-15 (exact time unknown)
Minnesota University science building suffers extensive damage
USA: A science building under construction at the University of Minnesota Duluth has drains plugged, water turned on, broken windows, and other acts of vandalism. Damage: Over $1 million.
October 11
Pennsylvania highway closed by bomb hoax
USA: A major Philadelphia highway is closed in both directions during rush hour following discovery of a suspicious metal box attached to a PECO Energy Co. electric transmission tower. The letters "ELF" were written on the box.
October 10
Fox farm raided
Slovakia: 430 foxes are released and abandoned at a farm in Martin. A note left at the site claims guilt on behalf of ALF. Estimated damage: 2.8 million Slovak crowns ($86,000).
October 7
Grave desecrated, human remains removed
UK: Gladys Hammond's grave in Yoxall, Staffordshire is desecrated and her remains stolen. Her family breeds guinea pigs at Darley Oaks Farm, Newchurch, for research. Mrs. Hammond died in 1997. John Ablewhite, Kerry Whitburn, John Smith sentenced to 12 years, Josephine Mayo to four years.
August 4
SUVs burned in Washington
USA: Two Hummers are attacked by arsonists at George Gee Dealership in Liberty Lake. One is heavily damaged, two others less so. Retail of each Hummer: $55,000. "Eastern Washington Chapter" of ELF claims guilt in email to TV station.
July 14-15
Property, cars vandalized
UK: Sarah Gisborne targets houses and cars of five individuals associated with Huntingdon Life Sciences, in Woking, St. Ives and Cambridge. Damage: 40,000 pounds. Sentenced to five and a half years.
July 8
Arson at Utah university
USA: A fire at a Brigham Young University farm in Provo, engaged in animal feed experiments, damages two tractors. Harrison Burrows, 18, pleads guilty; and states he "started the fires to make a political statement on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front." Damage: $30,000. Harrison Burrows and Joshua Demmitt convicted.
June 14
Arson at Utah lumber yard
USA: A storage building at Stock Building Supply in West Jordan is razed by fire. Initials "ELF" spraypainted on adjacent building and a truck. A fax sent to a radio station, also with "ELF" at the top, accused Stock Building Supply of having excessively polluting forklifts. ELF claims guilt. Damage: $1.5 million. Justus Ireland convicted.
May 27
Logging equipment damaged in Oregon
USA: Fives pieces of logging equipment belonging to J&D Logging of Prairie City are vandalized. Damage: $100,000.
May 16
University animal facility raided in Utah
USA: A barn at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City is entered, and six rabbits and seven birds taken. The animals were used in nutritional research studies. Bite Back magazine claims guilt on behalf of ALF.
April 21
Historical building defaced in California
USA: The former home of writer Upton Sinclair in Monrovia is pray-painted with slurs like "murderer" and "puppy killer". The nationally designated landmark was targetted because one member of the family currently occupying it is an employee of a company being targetted by Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC).
April 20
New homes torched in Washington
USA: Two upscale new homes are destroyed by arson, and a third damaged, in Lobo Ridge subdivision near Snohomish. A small fire is extinguished in a fourth house. A note left behind suggests eco-terrorism. Total damage estimated at $1 million.
April 9-10
Mink farm raided
Spain: 6,500 pregnant mink are released and abandoned at a farm in Galicia. Some 5,000 are recovered, and 500 are found dead. Graffiti indicates involvement of the Animal Liberation Front (el Fente de Liberacion Animal).
April 9
Logs spiked
Canada: Canadian Press reports more than 100 spikes found by workers at Cattermole Timber in logs from Elk Creek, a controversial logging site east of Vancouver.
April 9
Theft at agricultural school in Pennsylvania
USA: 48 animals are stolen from W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences in Roxborough, near Philadelphia. Animals include dogs, gerbils, chinchillas, hamsters, rats, mice and a ferret. "Go experiment on yourselves We're free - the animals" is spray-painted on the school's dog kennel.
February 28
SUVs vandalized in Indiana
USA: Nine vehicles are splashed with an acidic substance in Bloomington, destroying windshields and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
February 8
Diesel leak targets tourism spot
New Zealand: Eco-terrorists are suspected of creating a 1.25-mile slick by intentionally leaking a boat's diesel fuel into Milford Sound to drive tourists away. The fjord, 700 miles southwest of Wellington, is home to a rare species of penguin.
February 7
Construction site damaged in Virginia
USA: $30,000 in damage is done to equipment at Hollymead Town Center construction site north of Charlotteville. The attack took place some time between Feb. 5 and Feb. 8. ELF claims guilt.
2003
December 13
Animal laboratory raided
UK: Wickham Laboratories in Wickham, Hants are robbed of 695 mice and documentation. Keith Mann and Melvyn Glintenkamp are convicted.
November 14
Animal breeder's home attacked
UK: Army bomb disposal experts are called after dozens of fireworks are thrown at a house linked to a guinea pig breeding center in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
October 10
Mink farm raided
Italy: 7,000 of 18,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm in central Italy.
October 5
Vandalism at New Mexico fish facility
USA: Construction equipment used for a fish rehabilitation project on the Rio Cebolla near Los Alamos is vandalized. The acronym "ELF" is found scratched on equipment.
October 2
Animal services' head's home vandalized in California
USA: The Santa Monica home of the head of animal services for Los Angeles is vandalized. Red paint is splashed on his car and the initials "ALF" left behind.
September 26
Biotech company bombed in California
USA: A bomb strapped with nails explodes at biotech company Shaklee Corp. in Pleasanton. Shaklee is a customer of animal-testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences.
September 23
Lab ransacked in Louisiana
USA: A research lab at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is ransacked, with damage estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. ALF claims guilt.
September 22
Bombs at Michigan water plant
USA: Inflammable devices are placed inside an Ice Mountain pumping station in Mecosta County, but fail to ignite. ELF claims guilt, claiming the station is "stealing water".
September 22
Fur farm raid
Finland: 7,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm near Kokkola, 310 miles north of Helsinki. Damage: EUR 300,000.
September 19
Home arsons in California
USA: Four homes under construction in San Diego are damaged by fire, with damage estimated at $1 million. A banner at the site indicates ELF guilt.
September 5
SUVs vandalized in New Mexico
USA: A dozen vehicles are spray-painted with graffiti, including "ELF", at a Land Rover dealership in Santa Fe.
September 2
SUVs vandalized in Texas
USA: Vandals shoot out windows with pellet guns, slash tires and "key" 22 vehicles at a Houston dealership. Damage: $60,000.
August 28
Biotech company bombed in California
USA: Two small bombs explode at biotech company Chiron Corp. in Emeryville. Chiron is a customer of animal-testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences.
August 25
Mink farm raided in Washington
USA: More than 10,000 mink are released and abandoned at a farm in Snohomish County. Most are recovered, but many die. ALF claims guilt. (See related article.)
August 22
SUVs destroyed in California
USA: 125 vehicles, mostly SUVs, are destroyed or damaged at four auto dealerships in West Covina, Duarte, Arcadia and Monrovia, near Los Angeles. A warehouse at the West Covina dealership is also heavily damaged by fire. Damage: $3 million +. ELF claims guilt.
August 3
Fur stores vandalized
Norway: Seven fur shops in Oslo are vandalized. Windows are smashed, slogans sprayed, and foul-smelling butyric acid thrown into the stores. Guilt is claimed by Dyrenes Frigjorings Front (Norwegian ALF).
August 1
Condominium project torched in California
USA: A 206-unit condominium project under construction in University City, San Diego, is destroyed by fire. Damage: $50 million. A banner left behind reads "If you build it, we will burn it. The E.L.F.s are mad." Earth Liberation Front claims guilt. (See FCUSA editorial)
July 30
Fur farm raiders caught in the act
Finland: Five youths with police records concerning their animal rights activities are arrested while breaking into a fur farm in Maalahti near Vaasa.
July 25
Empty fur farm burned down
Sweden: ALF announces the destruction by incendiary devices of an empty fox farm outside Oskarshamn, after a newspaper reports the owner's plans to rebuild it and start farming mink.
July 1
New home defaced in Connecticut
USA: A modest new house in South Windsor is defaced with spray paint. Graffiti includes "ELF" and "No Sprawl".
July - August
French-style chef victimized in CA
USA: Multiple attacks are directed at the homes of two owners of a new foie gras specialty store in Sonoma, including spray-painting, cars splashed with acid, and threatening letters and videotapes. On Aug. 12, vandals also break into the store, Sonoma Saveurs, in an historic adobe building. Drains are plugged with concrete and water valves are opened to flood the restaurant, causing extensive damage. Combined damage from all the attacks: over $60,000.
June 4
New homes torched in Michigan
USA: Two nearly completed homes with a combined value of $700,000 are torched in Macomb County, west of Detroit. Graffiti at the scene reads "ELF - Stop Sprawl". ELF claims guilt.
April 29
SUVs defaced in California
USA: About 60 SUVs, trucks and mobile homes at dealerships and outside homes are defaced with anti-war graffiti in Santa Cruz. ELF claims guilt.
April 27
Chicken hatchery vandalised
Sweden: Machines for hatching and brooding chickens are destroyed at Gimranas Inc., Sweden's largest chicken hatchery, in Herrljunga, causing 42,000 eggs to cool down. Estimated damage: US$240,000. Three animal rightists are arrested.
April 19
More than 1,000 chickens stolen
UK: Equipment is damaged and over 1,000 chickens are stolen from Wallops Wood Farm, Droxford, Hampshire. ALF claims guilt, saying all the chickens will be provided with new homes.
April 8
65 SUVs, trucks vandalized in California
USA: 45 SUVs and trucks are spray-painted with anti-war messages at the North Bay Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealership in Santa Cruz, as well as 18 or 20 vehicles parked in front of neighbors' homes. The graffiti also includes references to ELF.
April 4
Store torched in Illinois
USA: Czimer's Game and Seafood store in the Chicago suburb of Lockport is torched the day after the owner and others are convicted of using the store to illegally sell tiger and leopard meat. ALF claims guilt.
March 22
California slaughterhouse torched again
USA: The Rancho Veal slaughterhouse in Petaluma is torched. The building survives but $10,000 in damage is done to the roof. Spray-painted at the scene is the message "stop the killing". In January 2000, three buildings were set ablaze, causing $250,000 in damage. Guilt for that attack, and another in 1997, was claimed by ALF.
March 21
Navy Recruiting Station vehicles vandalized
USA: Vehicles are vandalized at the Navy Recruiting Station in Montgomery, Alabama. Cargo truck is set ablaze, five other vehicles spray-painted with anti-war messages, including "E-L-F". ELF claims guilt.
March 21
New homes torched in Michigan
USA: Two homes under construction in the Superior Township, west of Detroit, are torched. When finished, they would have been valued at $500,000 each. Nearby graffiti says "no sprawl" and "ELF". ELF claims guilt.
March 3
Attempted arson at McDonald's
USA: An attempt to torch a McDonald's franchise in Chico, California is thwarted. "Meat is murder", "Species equality" and "Animal Liberation Front" are spray-painted near two containers of flammable liquid. An anonymous letter claiming guilt is also signed "Animal Liberation Front".
February 26
Mink farm raided
Ireland: Pens of 1,000 mink are opened at a farm in Co. Laois, Kildare, but fewer than 50 leave the farm, and most of those are later rounded up. ALF claims guilt.
January 20
McDonald's torched in Washington
USA: Arson damages a McDonald's outlet in Seattle. Damage: $5,000. December 2005: Christopher McIntosh, having pled guilty on behalf of ALF and ELF, is sentenced to 8 years in prison.
January 2
Seafood trucks vandalised in Illinois
USA: Brake or refrigerator lines are cut on the entire truck fleet - 38 units - of Supreme Lobster and Seafood, the Midwest's largest lobster distributor, in Villa Park, west Chicago. ALF claims guilt.
January 1
Chickens die in farm attack
UK: More than 150 free-range chickens are trampled to death as 7,000 chickens stampede in botched raid on Norfolk Cottage egg farm in Poole, Dorset. Animal rights graffiti spray-painted at the scene includes "ALF". 15 years previously, chickens were released by ALF from the same farm and killed by foxes.
January 1
SUV attack in Pennsylvania
USA: Four new sports utility vehicles are consumed by fire at the Bob Ferrando dealership in Girard, Erie. Damage estimated at $90,000. ELF claims guilt.
2002
December 29
Hunt supplier torched
UK: Animal rightists suspected after fire razes a feed supplier to a local fox hunt in Brent Pelham, Hertfordshire. Damage to an historic Grade 2 listed barn and adjoining buildings is estimated at £250,000 ($400,000).
December 23-24
SUV attacks in Massachusetts
USA: 16 sports utility vehicles are defaced with spray-paint in Newton with environmentalist and peacenik messages.
November 26
Pennsylvania mink farm barn torched
USA: A barn at the Mindek Brothers Fur Farm in Erie County is destroyed by fire. ALF and ELF claim joint guilt. (Related story)
November 22
Dog-breeding farm attacked
Italy: 128 beagles being raised for research laboratories are stolen from a farm in San Polo d'Enza, near Bologna. ALF claims guilt.
November 11
Meat plant set alight
UK: Two refrigerator trailers filled with meat are destroyed by fire at the Baron of Beef depot in Tyneside. Damage: about £30,000. Animal rights terrorists suspected.
November 11
Mink farm raided
France: Vandals break into a fur farm in Thionville, eastern France, and release 1,000 of the farm's 17,000 animals. Few are recovered. Damage: about $30,000.
October 6
More SUVs trashed in Virginia
USA: One Toyota SUV and one Ford SUV are attacked with an axe in residential areas of Henrico County. Notes at crime scenes indicate ELF responsible. Combined damage: $14,000.
September 28
SUVs trashed in Virginia
USA: 25 Ford and Mercury SUVs are permanently damaged with glass-etching cream at a dealership in Henrico County. One vehicle has the word "ELF" sprayed on it. Damage: $25,000.
August 18
Mink farm raided in Iowa
USA: 1,200 mink are released and abandoned at the Nick Demuth Mink Ranch in Waverly. About half the animals are recovered. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
August 18
Luxury home torched in Michigan
USA: A nearly completed home in Washtenaw County is burned down. Insurance company pays $600,000. ELF suspected for similarity to other fires - see March 21, 2003.
August 12
Bomb found at biotech center
Italy: A gas and petrol bomb which failed to go off is found outside a government-run biotechnology research center in Modena experimenting in the use of animal tissue in humans. A slogan daubed on a wall reads "Stop zenotransplants [sic]".
August 11
Forest Service station torched
USA: A U.S. Forest Service Research Station at Irvine, western Pennsylvania is destroyed by fire, causing about $700,000 in damage. Guilt is claimed by ELF.
July 28
Mink research facility raided
Netherlands: A government mink farm research facility in Beekbergen is broken into but the trespassers flee when the alarm is triggered. Damage is minimal damage and all the animals are safe. Guilt is claimed by the Dutch arm of ALF.
July 26
Mink farm raided
Netherlands: Between 8,000 and 9,000 mink are stolen and abandoned at a farm in VanHorst near Eindhoven. Neighbors help recover most of the animals, but 1,500 remain unaccounted for.
July 22
Mink farm raided
Finland: Between than 1,000 mink are released and abandoned at a fur farm in Maalahti, 400 km from Helsinki.
July 19
Arizona construction site attacked
USA: Arson at a construction site in Tucson destroys $1,500 worth of PVC sewer pipes. Nine metal sewer pipes are found arranged into the letters E L F.
July 10
Smoke bombs in Washington
USA: Two smoke grenades cause mass evacuation from two buildings in downtown Seattle. The buildings house insurance companies doing business with the medical research company Huntingdon Life Sciences. Animal rightists are suspected.
May 12
Mink farm raided in Pennsylvania
USA: A farm in Erie is attacked in the early morning. 200 mink are stolen and abandoned, but most are recovered. The main casualties are kits, just days old, that are left without their mothers. ALF claims guilt.
May 3
Truck firebombing at Indiana poultry company
USA: A bomb destroys a truck belonging to Sims Poultry in Bloomington. Undetonated incendiary devices are recovered from under two other trucks. ALF claims guilt.
March 24
Arson, tree spiking in Pennsylvania
USA: An overhead crane worth $500,000 is destroyed by fire at a highway construction site in Wintergreen Gorge. Trees in the area are also found to be spiked. ELF claims guilt.
March
Foxes released, two killed, in British Columbia
Canada: Forty foxes are released from a farm in Travellers Rest, Vancouver. Two are found shortly after on a highway, dead. In a letter to the Journal Pioneer, the culprits promise to turn themselves in if the farm's owner donates $1,000 to an animal protection group.
January 29
Research center burned down in Minnesota
USA: The Microbial and Plant Genomics Research Center, under construction at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, is attacked by arsonists. ELF claims guilt.
January 29
Biotech plant sabotage in Maine
USA: ELF and ALF jointly claim the sabotage of a biotech plant being built for Jackson Labs, an animal testing business, in Fairfield. Sand and mortar mix are used to wreck construction equipment at the site.
January 26
Minnesota University arson
USA: Fire damages a trailer and two pieces of heavy machinery at the construction site of the Microbial and Plant Genomics Research Center on the university's St. Paul campus. Damage is put at $800,000. ELF claims guilt, saying it was protesting genetic engineering.
January 13
Colorado lambskin plant burned down
USA: A 56,000 square foot lambskin processing plant in Greeley, operated by Nugget International, is burned to the ground, causing an estimated $7 million in damage. No evidence of arson is found, but suspicions abound since ALF graffiti threatening arson was found at a similar plant in Denver in December 2001.
January 13
Iowa pelt-processor raided
USA: Pelt-processing plant in Jewell is burglarized for documents.
2001
November 13
California lab trashed
USA: Files and equipment are damaged at Sierra Biomedical in La Jolla, near San Diego. Cost put at $50,000. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
November 5
Incendiary devices at forestry building in Michigan
USA: After a series of ELF e-mail threats, suspected ELF activists plant incendiary devices at the U.J. Noblet Forestry Building and a U.S. Forest Service laboratory at Michigan Technological University in Houghton. Security guards disarm the devices. 2009: After pleading guilty in 2008 to placing two incendiary devices, New York college student and ELFer Ian Wallace is sentenced to three years in prison.
October 31
Mink released, almost all recovered
Sweden: 600 mink are released from Stengårdens mink farm in Simrisnamn, southeast Sweden. 590 of the animals are recovered and returned to the farm.
October 24
Mink released in Hampshire's New Forest
UK: Animal rightists release some 500 mink from Crow Hill fur fur farm in Ringwood. Crow Hill was previously targeted in 1998, when seven thousand mink were released in an attack claimed by ALF.
October 23
Iowa farm raided again
USA: The same fur farm raided on Oct. 16 (see below) is raided again. By day's end, 600 mink are still missing. Guilt is claimed again by ALF.
October 16
Two farms raided in Iowa
USA: 1,400 mink are released from a fur farm in Hamilton County, and 200 water fowl and pigeons are released from an exotic bird farm in Mills County. ALF claims guilt.
October 15
Government barn firebombed
USA: A barn containing 250 tons of hay is destroyed by fire at a US Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro corrals near Litchfield, California. Guilt is claimed by ELF, which states the firebombing was done "in opposition to the Bureau of Land Management's continued war against the Earth." Three other incendiary devices are disarmed. Damage is put at over $85,000. 2007: Darren Thurston sentenced to 37 months in prison.
September 20
Arson at primate facility
USA: A maintenance building belonging to the White Sands Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico, is burned down. The facility, belonging to the Coulston Foundation, works with primates in medical studies. Damage is put at over $1 million. ALF claims guilt.
September 8
McDonald's torched in Arizona
USA: A McDonald's franchise in Tucson is set ablaze, causing $500,000 in damage. Guilt is claimed by ALF and ELF.
August 23
Mink farm raided
Netherlands: 16,800 animals are released from a mink farm in Valkenswaard, near Eindhoven. Hundreds are squashed on nearby roads.
August 21
Vandalism at New York laboratory
USA: Vandals hit a Nassau County facility belonging to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Damage is estimated at $15,000. In a statement claiming guilt, the Earth Liberation Front implies that it believed the laboratory was involved in genetic engineering. In fact, the facility works on cancer treatments and in the field of genomics.
July 31
Mink farm raided
Spain: Fences are torn down and about 13,000 American mink are released from a fur farm near la Puebla de Valverde in Teruel province, northeastern Spain. About 6,000 are recaptured.
July 24
Boat sinking attempted in New York
USA: "Pirates for Animal Liberation" claim responsibility for unsuccessfully trying to sink a Bank of New York employee's 21-foot boat at Sands Point.
July 4
Logging office torched in Michigan
USA: ELF torches an executive office in Detroit of logging company Weyerhauser to protest its part in funding Oregon State University and the University of Washington's poplar and cottonwood genetic engineering research.
July 4
SUVs destroyed in Michigan
USA: Eight Ford Expeditions are destroyed by arson at a Ford dealership. ELF claims guilt.
June 12
Bank of New York attacked
USA: Five branches of the Bank of New York, in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York, are attacked by vandals. One branch has 13 windows smashed, two others have their ATMs smeared with glue. ALF and ELF claim joint guilt, saying the attacks were prompted by the bank's support of Huntingdon Life Sciences, a research company that uses animals.
June 11
Furnishing store trashed in Utah
USA: 45 windows are smashed and other acts of vandalism committed at Bed Bath & Beyond store in Salt Lake City. ALF claims guilt, saying the store was targeted because it had financial dealings with investment company Stephens, Inc., which in turn had financial dealings with a research company that uses animals, Huntingdon Life Sciences.
June 11-12
Luxury homes set ablaze in Arizona
USA: Four luxury homes in Pima Canyon Estates outside Tucson, worth a combined $5 million, are torched because they were being built near mountain preserves. Local environmental extremists claim guilt.
June 10
Pea plants ripped up in Idaho
USA: Hundreds of genetically altered pea plants are destroyed at a research farm owned by Seminis Inc., near Twin Falls.
June 1
Logging camp torched
USA: A logging site in a national forest near Mount Hood, Oregon, is set ablaze. One logging truck belonging to Ray A. Schoppert Logging Inc. is destroyed and two others are damaged. Damage to the trucks is put at $50,000. Total damage is estimated at $150,000.
May 21
Arsons in Washington, Oregon
USA: Jefferson Poplar Farm outside Clatskanie, Oregon, and a University of Washington research center in Seattle are burnt by almost identical incendiary devices. Two wooden buildings, equipment and more than a dozen trucks and other vehicles are destroyed at the farm, resulting in more than $1 million in damage. 112 miles away, the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington is gutted. Rebuilding costs more than $7 million. The two facilities collaborated in poplar research, while the University facility worked with transgenic trees. ELF claims guilt. 2007: Stanislas Meyerhoff, Nathan Block, Daniel McGowan, Joyanna Zacher sentenced. July 2008: Jennifer Kolar sentenced.
April 30
Lab ducks stolen from New York lab
USA: More than 250 ducklings are stolen from Cornell University Duck Laboratory and Farm in Eastport, Long Island. The facility does research on duck viruses to help farmers. The domesticated birds are flightless and cannot survive in the wild. ALF claims guilt.
April 22
Mink farm burned down
Germany: A mink farm in Steinölsa, near Dresden, is reduced to ashes. No animals are on site since the farm was a new start-up, not yet stocked. But living quarters, feed houses and eight mink sheds are destroyed. Fire fighters cannot reach the scene in time because of spikes in the roads leading to the farm.
April 20
Washington mink farm raided
USA: Burglars release and abandon about 300 mink from a farm in Snohomish County, mostly females which are heavily pregnant. 200 are later recovered. Breeding cards are also destroyed. Damage is estimated by the owner at $35,000.
April 15
Arsonists hit cement trucks
USA: Three cement trucks belonging to Ross Island Sand & Gravel, in Portland, Oregon, are destroyed by fire, causing damages of $210,000. ELF claims guilt, accusing the company of "stealing soil" and mishandling toxic wastes.
April 5
Egg farm torched in Washington
USA: ALF sets fire to a National Food Corp. egg farm in Arlington, causing $1.5 million in damage.
April 2
Failed arson at Nike store
USA: Milk jugs full of gasoline are found on the roof of a Nike store in a shopping mall in Albertville, north of Minneapolis. A conflagration is narrowly averted when snow extinguishes the fuses leading to the gasoline. Guilt is claimed by ELF, which says it wants to punish the sports shoe maker for running "sweatshops".
April 1
Dogs stolen from New Jersey research facility
USA: 14 beagles are stolen from the laboratory of UK-based Huntingdon Life Sciences in East Millstone, Somerset County. ALF claims guilt.
March 30
Arson at Oregon truck dealership (see also June 24, 2000)
USA: An arson attack at Romania Truck Center destroys 36 SUVs, melts the asphalt and scorches nearby trees, causing $1 million in damage. Guilt is claimed by an anonymous group in a statement released by the Portland office of the Earth Liberation Front. Attack takes place days before Jeffrey Luers goes on trial. Damage: $1 million. 2007: Stanislas Meyerhoff, Nathan Block, Joyanna Zacher sentenced.
March 25
Slaughterhouse torched
Netherlands: A slaughterhouse near Eindhoven is reduced to ashes. Damages estimated at US$4 million. ALF claims guilt.
March 17
Chickens stolen from California egg farm
USA: More than 450 chickens are stolen from Sunny-Cal Eggs in Beaumont. This is the second raid on the farm. In June 2000, 200 chicks were stolen. ALF claims guilt.
March 17
Hundreds of research trees damaged in Oregon
USA: Hundreds of poplars used in research projects are cut down by vandals apparently targeting genetically engineered trees. At one site in the Corvallis area, nearly 500 one-year-old trees are either cut down or damaged. At another site near Corvallis, 100 to 200 young trees are damaged or cut down. About 70 research trees in Klamath Falls, which were conventional hybrids, are also destroyed. A representative of GenetiX Alert claims "concerned OSU students and alumni" are responsible.
February 23
Animal research chief brutalized
UK: The managing director of Cambridgeshire-based Huntingdon Life Sciences, Brian Cass, is attacked by three masked thugs carrying baseball bats or pickaxe handles, sustaining a three-inch gash to his scalp.
February 21
Arrests follow bombing campaign
UK: Two men and a woman are arrested in connection with at least 11 letter bombs sent to people or businesses with ties to animal use since December 2000. Five of the bombs explode, causing facial injuries to two adults and leg wounds to a 6-year-old girl. The targets include a pet supplier, a pest control worker, an agricultural supplier and a sheep farmer.
February 20
California cotton gin burned
USA: A cotton gin is set alight at Delta and Pine Land Co. in Visalia, Tulare County. ELF claims guilt, saying the company has ties to Monsanto's genetically engineered seed program.
February
Trees spiked in private Virginia timber tract
USA: Hundreds of steel spikes are driven into trees on a 300-acre private timber tract in Westmoreland County. Rock Hill Lumber estimates it may have to spend $30,000 to $40,000 on safety precautions when it runs the timber through the sawmill. The Earth Liberation Front claims guilt.
February
UK: Huntsman and wife assaulted
George Murray, master of the Cheshire Beagles, and his wife are assaulted.
January 21
Mink farm raided
France: Almost 400 mink are released and abandoned at a fur farm near Fecamp in northwestern France.
January 15
Logging equipment wrecked in Washington
USA: Sand is poured into oil and hydraulic parts on logging equipment owned by Pacific Logging, in Marblemount. Damage and down time is estimated at $100,000.
January 8
Fur shop vandalized in New Jersey
USA: Holes are drilled in the roof of Bon-Ton Furs in Ridgewood to allow rain and snow melt to flow inside. Butyric acid is poured through one of the holes. Guilt is claimed by the Animal Liberation Front.
January 2
Arsonists attack Oregon lumber company
USA: Fire ravages the offices of Superior Lumber Co., in Glendale, causing $800,000 in damage. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front. 2007: Suzanne Savoie, Daniel McGowan sentenced.
January
UK: Hunting dogs stolen
Forty-seven hounds are stolen from Wye Beagles, Kent.
2000
December 29
Arson of four residential developments
USA: Arsonists attack four new luxury homes in Mount Sinai, Long Island, New York, causing $160,000 in damage. One incendiary device fails to work, but three of the homes are seriously damaged. The Earth Liberation Front claims guilt, saying the development threatens a large aquifer for drinking water. Jared McIntyre sentenced 2004 to 3.5 years in prison. Matthew Rammelkamp sentenced 2006 to 6 months. (See also Dec. 19.)
December 19
Arson of residential development
USA: A luxury home under construction in Miller Place, New York, is torched. Damage is estimated at $50,000. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, which says it is fighting "urban sprawl". Jared McIntyre sentenced 2004 to 3.5 years in prison. Matthew Rammelkamp sentenced 2006 to 6 months. (See also Dec. 29.)
December 15 - February 21, 2001
Letter bomb spree
UK: Fifteen explosive devices are mailed to addresses in northern England and Wales, appearing to target people working with animals. Injuries result, including leg injuries to a six-year-old girl whose father works for a pest-control company.
December 11
Meat company truck wrecked
Canada: Incendiary devices are planted under three trucks at Ferry Meat Market, Vancouver. Only one device explodes, damaging a truck worth about $60,000. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
December 9
Condominium under construction torched
USA: Fire erupts in a condominium under construction in Middle Island, New York, causing $200,000 in damage. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, which says it set incendiaries in 16 condos. In its statement it says the homes were "future dens of the wealthy elite."
December 7
McDonald's offices vandalized
USA: Windows are smashed and anti-meat slogans are spraypainted at McDonald's offices in Long Island, New York. Guilt is claimed by ALF and the Earth Liberation Front.
December 1
Real estate development trashed
USA: Hundreds of windows are smashed, survey stakes are pulled up, machinery is monkey-wrenched, and abusive slogans are spray-painted at a real estate development in Middle Island, Long Island, NY. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front.
November 27
Mansion torched
USA: A new mansion in Longmont, Colorado is attacked by arsonists. Damage is put at $500,000. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, which says the action was in protest at the rejection by Coloradans in November of a growth-control initiative.
October 18
Logging equipment trashed
USA: Logging equipment is seriously damaged in Martin County, Indiana, including three skidders, one loader, hoses, etc. Sand is poured into engines and gas tanks. Damage is put at $55,000. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front.
October 9
Mink farm raided
Norway: More than 1,500 mink released from a farm in the south of the country.
September 26
Three mink farms raided
Denmark: Animal rightists release more than 4,000 mink from mink farms near Soeroe, 60 kilometers southwest of Copenhagen, and Frederikssund, 50 kilometers northwest of the capital. Guilt is claimed by ALF. A day earlier, 8,000 mink were released from a farm near Frederikssund.
September 9
Iowa bird farm raided
USA: 215 pigeons are released from Double T Farms in Glenwood, southwest Iowa. Guilt is claimed by ALF, whose spokesman claims the birds were raised to be "tortured to death in biomedical research laboratories." Only 24 birds are recovered, and damage is put at $10,000.
September 9
Republican Party Committee HQ torched
USA: Fire breaks out at the headquarters of the Monroe County Republican Party Committee in Bloomington, Indiana. Investigators say a flammable liquid was poured on the building and ignited. Damage is put at $1,500. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, which says it opposes a planned extension of an interstate highway.
September 7
Iowa mink farm raided
USA: 14,000 mink are released from a farm in New Hampton and abandoned, the largest animal release in US history. Many of the animals are recovered, but hundreds die. Guilt is claimed by ALF. (Related story.)
August 28
Animal researchers' cars torched
UK: Five cars belonging to workers at animal testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences are torched at their homes in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. A sixth incendiary device fails to ignite. Four workers' cars were also torched in May. No one claims guilt for either attack.
August 28
Birds released from Colorado research facility
USA: 179 birds (quail and mallard ducks) are released from Genesis Laboratories in Wellington, near Fort Collins. Genesis, registered with US Department of Agriculture, conducts research on the spread of diseases carried by rodents. Lab officials estimate that up to three-quarters of the released birds, many of which have clipped wings, are soon killed by coyotes and foxes. Guilt is claimed by the Animal Liberation Front.
July 20
Vandalism at Forest Service research station
USA: Vandals hack down thousands of experimental trees, mostly poplars, and spray-paint vehicles at a US Forest Service Rhinelander research station in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. With 18 years of research destroyed, damage is put at $1 million. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, which says the attack was against bioengineering, although researchers say the trees were bred naturally to grow faster and resist diseases. 2009: Brian Lefay is sentenced to three years in prison, and Katherine Christianson to two years. They are also ordered to pay $424,361 in restitution.
July 2
Arson at Indiana chicken farm
USA: Arson at Rose Acre chicken farm in North Vernon, Indiana, destroys a feed truck and causes an estimated $100,000 in damage. Guilt is claimed by the Animal Liberation Front.
June 30
Trees spiked in Indiana
USA: The Earth Liberation Front claims guilt for placing "hundreds" of spikes in timber trees in Brown and Monroe counties in southern Indiana. ELF states, "We ask that this action be widely publicized in order to prevent injury to any timber workers who might be working in the area. It is not our intention to cause harm to anyone."
June 24
Failed arson in Eugene, Oregon (see also May 27, 2000)
USA: Arsonists attack Romania Truck Center. Damage: $400,000. November 2000, Craig Marshall sentenced to five and a half years. June 6, 2001: Jeffrey Luers sentenced to 272 months for this and the May 27 attempted arson.
June 14
New Hampshire mink farm raided
USA: After tearing down a fence, vandals release over 500 mink from Richard Gauthier's farm in Lyndeboro. Gauthier's farm was also vandalized in 1998. (Related story)
June 4
Grass seed research facility trashed
USA: Experimental plots of a grass seed research company in Portland, Oregon are vandalized. Pure-Seed Testing Inc. estimates the damage at between $300,000 and $500,000. The grass was being grown for placement on golf greens, but was not genetically modified. However, the group claiming responsibility, the "Anarchist Golfing Association", said in an e-mailed statement to the company that golf courses are "a destroyer of all things wild," and "these crops are grown for profit and the pleasure of the rich and have no social value."
May 27
Attempted arson at Oregon oil company (see also June 24, 2000)
USA: Arsonists attempt to set fire to a 12,000-gallon tanker truck belonging to Tyree Oil in Eugene. June 6, 2001: Jeffrey Luers sentenced to 272 months.
May 21
Firebomb attack at meat processor
UK: Nine incendiary devices are defused by Army bomb disposal experts at Mutchmeats Ltd., a meat-processing plant in Witney, Oxfordshire, after a tenth explodes destroying a truck. Police say the bombs would have caused widespread damage had they all exploded. Damage is put at £80,000. The Animal Liberation Front is suspected.
May 16
Research lab staffers hit by arsonists
UK: Arsonists simultaneously torch the cars of four animal testing staff of Huntingdon Life Sciences research laboratory. Two fires spread to houses where children are sleeping. No one is injured.
May 16
Chicken farm burgled in Washington
USA: Thieves break into a chicken farm in Burlington, cut wire on about 60 cages, and steal more than 200 chickens. Estimated loss is $1,500.
May 9
Hawaiian corn research ruined
USA: A group calling itself the "Menehune" claims guilt for destroying corn crop research at the Novartis center on Kauai. One test plot is completely destroyed, and enough pollen is mixed throughout other test plots to invalidate the experiments.
May 7
Washington timber company torched
USA: Fire guts the headquarters of a small timber company, Holbrook Inc., near the Port of Olympia. Damage is estimated at $150,000. A group calling itself "ROTT" (Revenge of the Trees) claims responsibility. "Logging is just one aspect in this capitalistic industrialized system that is destroying all things wild," states ROTT. "We will not stop until this whole stinking system rots!"
May 7
Washington chicken farm raided
USA: 212 egg-laying chickens are stolen from Dai-Zen Farms, outside of Burlington. 57 cages are also damaged. Guilt is claimed by ALF. A statement from ALF, distributed by the North American ALF Press Office, says all the birds "were placed into loving homes."
April 30
Sabotage at Indiana construction site
USA: A highway construction site near Ellettsville, 45 miles from Indianapolis, is sabotaged, causing $75,000 worth of damage to logging and construction equipment. Gas tanks are filled with sand, which is also packed into oil crankcases. Fuel and hydraulic lines are cut, and a tractor-trailer filled with wood chips is set on fire. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front. "The government and developers are mad with greed and there will be no limit to what they destroy until we take away the profit from their schemes," writes ELF in a statement faxed to the Associated Press.
April 25
Research protester charged with blackmail
UK: Blackmail charges are filed against the leader of a group that has targeted stockholders of Huntingdon Life Sciences. The suspect is questioned regarding 1,700 counts of alleged blackmail, the number of letters sent to stockholders threatening protests outside their homes unless they sell their stock in the company.
April 23
Arson at abbatoir
Belgium: Two refrigeration trucks and the entryway to an abbatoir are destroyed by fire in Zele, eastern Belgium. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
April 24
Neiman Marcus windows smashed in California
USA: Seventeen windows are smashed at Neiman Marcus department store in San Diego. The store, which stocks fur, is a regular target of animal rights protesters. ALF graffiti is found at the scene.
April 19
McDonald's bombed; one dead
France: A bomb explodes at a McDonald's outlet in Dinan, killing one employee, shattering windows and blowing off part of the roof. No organization claims guilt.
April 8
Utah stores hit by vandals
USA: Vandals smash windows and spray-paint ALF graffiti at a leather store, a Burger King, and two Arby's restaurants in Salt Lake City. The leather store is also burgled.
April 7
Grape root stock destroyed in California
USA: A group calling itself the "Petaluma Pruners" destroys grape plant root stock in Sonoma County grown by biotechnology company Vinifera.
April 1
Vandals strike US Forest Service at University of Minnesota
USA: A group calling itself the "Genetic Jokers" trashes six vehicles belonging to the US Forest Service, and sprays graffiti, jams locks and coats windows with etching cream at the offices of the USFS North Central Forest Experiment Station research building.
March 29
Seed orchard attacked in British Columbia
Canada: A group calling itself the "Ministry of Forest Defense" destroys 1,600 test trees at a provincial seed orchard.
March 25
Saboteurs hit highway rerouting work in Minnesota
USA: Construction equipment and materials being used in a highway rerouting are sabotaged. Parts are smashed, hoses are cut, and dirt and sand are dumped into the gas tanks and oil tubes of four vehicles. Survey stakes are also destroyed. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, which says the construction work endangered water resources.
March 25
Revlon manager injured in bomb blast
USA: Revlon manager Richard Simer's finger is blown off and his legs and chest are peppered with shrapnel when he opens a package bomb delivered to his home in Chandler, Arizona. No person or group claims guilt.
March 17
72-year-old research project ruined
USA: Thieves break into a biology professor's animal trailer at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California, and steal all 250 test mice from their cages. This brings to an end a research project begun in 1928 which studied generational observations of colony development in the search for causes of genetic birth defects and osteoporosis. No group claims guilt.
March 16
Farm Bureau office trashed in California
USA: The office of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau is broken into and trashed. On February 23, the Farm Bureau had announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of raids in the Bay Area claimed by ALF.
February 27
Store windows smashed in San Francisco
USA: Vandals smash 29 windows of a Neiman Marcus store, and spray-paint the letters ALF on an outside wall. Neiman Marcus stocks furs and has been the target of a long-running campaign by opponents of fur. Damage is estimated at $100,000.
February 27 and March 3
Thousands of mink released
Netherlands: Two to three thousand mink are released from farms in the villages of Putten and Barchem, and breeding cards are destroyed. Graffiti at the scene says: "While you sleep, ALF destroys your world."
February 25
Trucks destroyed at animal breeder
USA: Four incendiary devices destroy trucks belonging to B&K Universal in Fremont, California. B&K breeds animals for research. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
February 15
British Columbia trees spiked
Canada: A group calling itself "The Lorax" claims guilt for inserting 5- and 10-inch spikes into hundreds of trees in the Elaho Valley, north of Vancouver. The action is intended to preserve grizzly bear habitat.
February 9
Genetic engineering program sabotaged in Minnesota
USA: A genetic engineering program, funded in part by Quaker Oats, is sabotaged at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. 800 genetically engineered oat plants, the subject of a disease resistance experiment, are overturned. Construction vehicles are also sabotaged and salt is mixed into concrete destined for a highway project in Minneapolis. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front.
January 29
Fur farm raided
USA: 60 mink are released from a farm in Washington State.
January 24
Arson attempt on California research facility
USA: ALF claims guilt for attempting to burn down Primate Products, a medical research facility in Redwood City.
January 23
Development torched on Indiana watershed
USA: A new house is set alight in a Bloomington development that was supposedly jeopardizing a watershed supplying drinking water. Damage is estimated at $200,000. Guilt is claimed by the Earth Liberation Front.
January 20
Seven furriers attacked in New York
USA: Seven fur stores across Nassau and Suffolk counties, Long Island, are attacked in the early morning hours. Windows are smashed, vehicles are damaged, locks are glued shut, and light fittings, billboards and utilities are vandalized. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
January 15
Bombers strike in San Francisco
USA: Five incendiary devices explode in offices and trucks at Petaluma Farms, in the Bay Area. Two trucks are destroyed.
January 11
USDA Ag Research Service vandalized
USA: A group calling itself "Reclaim the Seeds" breaks into the Western Regional Research Center of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service at the University of California's Plant Gene Expression Center in Albany. The group claims to have destroyed over half the crop and "ruined the experiment".
January 5
Research rabbits stolen
USA: A laboratory at R&R Research Rabbitry in Stanwood, Washington, is broken into, and 23 rabbits are stolen. ALF claims guilt.
January 3
Arson at Rancho Veal
USA: Five incendiary devices placed in offices, storage facilities and trucks at Rancho Veal Corp. in Petaluma, California, cause $250,000 in damage. Guilt is claimed by ALF, which also hit Rancho Veal in 1997.
January 3
Mink farm hit again
UK: In the second raid on Crowhill Farm in Ringwood in less than 18 months, 300 of the 1,400 mink at the facility are released. The previous raid released up to 3,000 into the surrounding countryside. Guilt is claimed by ALF.
January 1
Arson attempt on fur company
Belgium: Benzine is poured through a ventilation duct of a store and lit. The store belongs to the fur company Pelsland. The fire quickly goes out due to lack of oxygen, without damaging the building severely. "ALF" is spray-painted at the scene.
January 1
Arson of logging equipment
USA: Arsonists strike commercial logging euipment near Mesick, Michigan.
Click here for pre-2000 crimes of animal extremism and eco-terror. © 1998-2009 Fur Commission USA