New Hampshire Mink Stolen and Abandoned: Nursing Females and Kits Casualties of War on Animals

Lyndeboro, New Hampshire: During the early morning hours, vandals cut 30 feet of farm fencing and broke into mink pens, stealing over 500 animals, only to abandon them to an uncertain future. Litters of nursing female mink and their young kits were broken up and the farmer is at a loss to know which animals belong to which litter.

"We have no idea which kits go to what mother," stated Richard Gauthier, owner of the farm which he runs with his wife and children.

Family and friends worked quickly to recover the animals and return them to the safety of the farm. However, many of the kits will perish if rejected because they are paired with the wrong mother.

"The attack on this farming family is just another act of eco-terrorism by people who oppose humans owning domesticated animals," stated Gincy Beck, president of Fur Commission USA, a trade association representing over 400 mink-farming families in 31 states.

Along with other resource providers, fur farmers have signed onto the National Animal Interest Alliance's Call for Action. The Call for Action demands government commit the resources to stopping vandals preying on the livestock industry, medical research and anyone who is involved in animal and resource-based industries.

Mink, which grow to 4 to 8 pounds and are the source of the raw material for fur garments sold worldwide, annually consume over 100 pounds each of agricultural by-products and waste from the beef, dairy, poultry and fish-processing industries.

Local law enforcement and the FBI are investigating the incident.

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What is it like to have your farm invaded and hundreds, maybe thousands of your domesticated mink stolen and abandoned?

Listen in to a National Public Radio (NPR) program on what it was like at the Pipkorn Mink Ranch in Michigan in October of 1998 when 5,000 domesticated mink were stolen and abandoned by animal "liberators". The entire town came out to help the farmers!

NPR program on an attack on a fur farm at: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/watc/19981101.watc.03.ram

You will need Real Player to listen to this radio program. If you don't have this program, dowload it from http://www.real.com/player/

In response, Mr. and Mrs. Pipkorn wrote a letter of thanks to their good neighbors, An Open Letter to Our Neighbors from Pipkorn Mink Ranch.

For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.

To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit Fur Commission USA's Fur on Film at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm

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