Update on New Hampshire Mink Theft

FUR COMMISSION USA PRESS RELEASE, JUNE 21, 2000

Update on New Hampshire Mink Theft

(See also June 14 press release below)

Lyndeboro, New Hampshire, June 21: During the early morning hours of June 14, vandals broke into mink pens at the Gauthier family farm, stealing and abandoning over 500 animals. As of June 21, the farmer was still searching for about 20 mink. 24 animals have died, mostly kits, unweaned mink that are too young to survive without their mothers.

On May 30, 1997, Rick Arritola from Mount Angel, Oregon, experienced a similar crime when vandals broke into his farm and stole and abandoned over 10,000 mink, most of which were young kits. In one of the worst examples of animal cruelty by animal “liberators” in the United States, over 4000 domesticated mink died after that criminal attack.

After the June 14 attack on his New Hampshire farm, Richard Gauthier received a phone call from Rick Arritola who gave Gauthier the benefit of his family’s experience.(1) ”What the Arritola family learned from the 1996 crime against their farm helped save animals on our farm,” stated Richard Gauthier. “Our thanks go to our good neighbors in Oregon – without their help, losses of our young kits would have been much, much higher.”

Since they are not used to surviving in the wild, most of 20 domesticated mink that have not yet been found will become roadkill or will be torn to pieces by dogs. Often unrecovered mink approach humans searching for food. Since the mink will be starving and aggressive, the Gauthier family asks anyone finding a lost mink to use caution and call (619) 575-0139.

Note:

(1) See Blood and Fur : Liberated by Ecoactivists, Hundreds of Animals Die Outside link to Time Magazine, July 16, 1997.

FCUSA PRESS RELEASE, JUNE 14, 2000

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’sCall 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.

* * *

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 fromhttp://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.