Minks on the loose: Up to 40,000 minks released from fur farm in Northern Ohio

Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
Tue, November 15, 2022 

Between 25,000 and 40,000 minks were released in Van Wert County, Ohio, after fencing around a fur facility was destroyed, police say.

Thousands of minks were released from a fur facility in Northern Ohio, police say.

In a Facebook post, the Van Wert County Sheriff's Office said fencing surrounding Lion Farms USA Mink Farm in Hoaglin Township was destroyed overnight on Tuesday, and 25,000 to 40,000 minks were released from their cages.

The sheriff's office is investigating the incident as a breaking and entering and vandalism complaint. Van Wert County is located in Northern Ohio southwest of Toledo, bordering Indiana.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, minks are drawn to wooded areas and typically eat small mammals, like muskrats, birds, frogs, eggs, fish and crayfish. The Van Wert County Sherriff's Office warned on Facebook that the newly freed animals could be problematic for local poultry farmers and homeowners with ponds.

In the post, the office listed licensed trappers that locals can call if they need help trapping the minks.

The Ohio State Patrol, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Ohio Department of Transportation are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

On Nov. 8, the Animal Liberation Front, an animal rights group, posted on its website that a member had released 1,000 minks from a fur facility in Massillon, Ohio, which is about three hours east of Lion Farms.

However, Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier told The Enquirer that no farms in Massillon, or Stark County, have reported missing minks. He said his office has been checking in with nearby fur facilities since hearing about Animal Liberation Front's claim last week.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Up to 40,000 minks released from Northern Ohio fur facility

40,000 mink are running loose after someone broke into their facility, Ohio cops say


Jo-Anne McArthur via Unsplash.

Mitchell Willetts
Tue, November 15, 2022 

Officials are warning residents in northwest Ohio to be on the lookout after tens of thousands of mink were released from a facility in Van Wert County.

There was a break-in at Lion Farms USA Mink Farm, in Hoaglin, overnight on Nov. 15, the Van Wert sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The culprits destroyed fencing at the facility and freed between 25,000 to 40,000 mink from their cages, the sheriff’s office said.

While mink are small, they are predatory animals. Such a large number suddenly released into the area could cause significant problems.

“As a result, they can be a bothersome pest for homeowners, livestock owners, and property managers,” the release said. “Minks have proven to be especially costly and problematic for poultry ranchers as well as homeowners with ornamental ponds filled with koi and other fish.”

The sheriff’s office is investigating along with several other agencies including the Ohio State Patrol.

Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 419-238-3866.

Generally, mink are farmed for their fur and slaughtered in late fall when their coats are of optimal thickness and quality, National Geographic reported.

Animal rights groups across the globe have long spoken out against mink farming, lambasting their killing and the conditions they’re kept in. However, investigators did not say whether that was the motive behind the break-in.

Mink are semi-aquatic and found most often in the wild near streams and creeks, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

They are territorial animals but also very vocal, communicating their mood to other mink by screeching, barking, hissing, as well as purring when pleased.

“The mink is prized by the trapper both for its pelt and for the great skill required to capture it,” according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. “To the wildlife enthusiast, the sight of this elusive furbearer is a thrilling surprise that must be experienced quickly, before the dynamic creature can scurry away to a place of concealment.”