Hundreds of mink have escaped

Vinegar Hill

Locals and farmers are asked to be on the lookout for the mink.

Owner of the mink farm, Connie Anderson, said those responsible for letting the animals escape where ‘animal terrorists’

http://www.highlandradio.com/2010/09/28/hundreds-of-minks-escape-in-ardara/

Disgraceful carry on. These are dangerous animals and they were apparently released from their cages on the farm. Mink are dangerous to farm animals and salmon. I would hope whoever did this is caught. They have been freed in the Ardara area. I have seen reports that multiple have been killed by cars so far.

.17hmr

The sad thing is that these people only see poor little mink,what they dont see is the devastation that they leave in thir wake and they will take and kill every thing that they can get,but sure who cares because the poor little furry things are free muppits:mad:


i know i cant spell.

Noreen1

Absolutely disgraceful! Apparently someone cut the cages and left the gate open.
If these so-called "animal lovers" saw the devastation mink can cause, they might think twice before letting the little brutes loose to attack and slaughter other defenceless animals.

If whoever let those mink loose is ever caught, I hope the judge finds some very gory footage of minks killing chickens or new-born lambs. It might just educate some of these "animal rights activists":rolleyes: that these cute, furry little darlings are actually very ruthless killing machines.

And before anyone jumps in to suggest I condone cruelty to animals - I don't! I just don't condone cruelty to chickens, young lambs etc. so that mink, who are not indigenous to Ireland, anyway - can roam free. (Those that aren't killed on roads, or by other mink, etc., since being cage-bred, many will not have sufficient survival skills to adapt to living in the wild.)

Noreen

mk2

210

Regardless of our individual views on the mink and fur farming trade this is clearly an act of absolute stupidity. Shame on whoever is responsible.

M three

eh has anyone thought that someone working at this mink or should i say fur farm f'ed up and left a gate / cage / door open??

Ah but no, it must have been those goddam animals terrorists..........jees.......

TippFan77

I agree that releasing mink like this is madness, but fur farming is cruel beyond belief and thankfully it's being phased out completely thanks to the Green Party.

The people who introduced these creatures to Ireland have a lot to answer for. In the past, mink that escaped without any outside "help" caused devastation in the countryside. They just don't belong in Ireland and shouldn't be here, full stop.

.17hmr

TippFan77 wrote: »

I agree that releasing mink like this is madness, but fur farming is cruel beyond belief and thankfully it's being phased out completely thanks to the Green Party.

The people who introduced these creatures to Ireland have a lot to answer for. In the past, mink that escaped without any outside "help" caused devastation in the countryside. They just don't belong in Ireland and shouldn't be here, full stop.

the green party hmmm your entitled to your view .i sure hope they dont land at my door for they just might get run over by a jeep ,it would be a accident like:D

biloatty

I can't get over how irresponsible an act this was. The mink weren't released by accident or by a farm-worked forgetting to close the gate! The gates were opened and wires around the farm were cut to allow the mink out.

I can't even imagine the devastation it is going to cause for local widlife! It's an environmental disaster.

I totally agree that those responsible should be caught and prosecuted for the ecological nightmare they have released on the area. Fur-farming is being phased out already, there is no need to take matters into your own hands with no regard for the impact locally.

So irresponsible!

Peace

I actually think its funny that in some misguided act of kindness to animals these eco morons have actually done untold damage to the local wildlife.

I would imagine the scene for any small animals int he area is something akin to a wildlife version of Snakes on a Plane. Except the snakes are the mink, the plane isn't actually going to land, and Samuel L. ain't gonna save the day.

baldbear

Jaysus the people who let these vermin out havn't a clue.
Recently the government spent €400k on reintroducing six corncrakes and Donegal has one of the best popultaions of Corncrakes in the country.

These minks will destroy the poor auld corncrake! I hope trappers get all these dasterdly minks.

Vinegar Hill

ANIMAL liberation 'terrorists' are being blamed for the release of thousands of farmed mink into the wild.

Desperate efforts were under way yesterday to recapture up to 5,000 mink, which dispersed into the surrounding countryside following a weekend break-in at a farm near Ardara in south-west Donegal.

Raiders used wire cutters to access the remote farm and open more than 1,000 cages containing roughly 5,000 mink.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/animal-terrorists-blamed-for-release-of-5000-farmed-mink-2357111.html

The number is in the thousands. And there was a break in at the farm. I hope these people are caught.

killerbeg

TippFan77 wrote: »

I agree that releasing mink like this is madness, but fur farming is cruel beyond belief and thankfully it's being phased out completely thanks to the Green Party.

Nice have it both ways, I guess, condemning and justifying a criminal act in the same breath. I find it hard to consider fur farming as reprehensible as this when one considers how animals and fish are treated generally (not many happy calves in the abbatoir, not many happy chickens in poultry farms) but the larger point I think is the mentality of people who consider this type of thing some kind of righteous political activism. I appreciate that each individual has a right to express their political and social beliefs but when I look at how the poor, the sick, the elderly and the weak in this country are mistreated by their fellow man I can't help thinking that some people's priorities are misguided to the point of ignorance. Maybe next time they might release the lions from Dublin Zoo into the Dail chambers............now that I could understand.

Noreen1

killerbeg wrote: »

I appreciate that each individual has a right to express their political and social beliefs but when I look at how the poor, the sick, the elderly and the weak in this country are mistreated by their fellow man I can't help thinking that some people's priorities are misguided to the point of ignorance. Maybe next time they might release the lions from Dublin Zoo into the Dail chambers............now that I could understand.

:D

Noreen

(Provided no-one actually tries this, of course!)

topper75

No matter how hard the trappers work - 100% recapture is nigh on impossible.

I'm not from Donegal but, as a wildlife enthusiast, I see this as no less than a national emergency. I hope our Dublin government treat it as such.

petergfiffin

http://www.limerickpost.ie/index.php/navigation-mainmenu-30/local-news/2269-war-waged-on-killer-mink.html

This is what lies in store for the wildlife in Donegal

Firblog

TippFan77 wrote: »

I agree that releasing mink like this is madness, but fur farming is cruel beyond belief and thankfully it's being phased out completely thanks to the Green Party.

Well to put my cards on the table, I actually worked on that farm for 2 weeks once, and didn't see anything particularly cruel going on. I believe that the minks in these farms are much better looked after than say battery hens or farmed salmon, because if the animal is not healthy the fur will reflect this, and they don't get paid for scraggly pelts. (whereas deformed hens & salmon get made into pies...:( )

And as far as the Green Party is concerned (not indigenous to ireland either and soon too to be eradicated here), the only reason that they included the outlawing of mink farms in the program for government was because the nutty wing of the party threatened to vote down NAMA unless that was included.... bet we're all wishing it had been the other way about now...

Firblog

muffler

Thanks guys. Can we just stay on the topic of minks here please and leave any references to vermin politicians for another debate.

deman

M three wrote: »

eh has anyone thought that someone working at this mink or should i say fur farm f'ed up and left a gate / cage / door open??

Ah but no, it must have been those goddam animals terrorists..........jees.......

I would laugh at this statement but I think you're being serious.

They are not cows that are closed in to a field or yard with a gate. It would take one helluva cage to put 5000 minks into.

Durnish

I think there is a U-tube video of the mink farm at Ardara, or one very nearby. Gassing Mink, I think it's called. The sheds look like old railway carriages.

Ave Sodalis

petergfiffin wrote: »

http://www.limerickpost.ie/index.php/navigation-mainmenu-30/local-news/2269-war-waged-on-killer-mink.html

This is what lies in store for the wildlife in Donegal

Horses? I don't think a mink could kill a horse to be honest, nor a large dog but then again, I could be wrong.

Talk about an immature, irresponsible act though! It's going to cause some devestation

R.D. aka MR.D

Common sense is lacking somewhere in the animal rights movement.

I think actions like this show a profound misunderstanding of the welfare of wildlife in particular.

These 'protesters' have looked at the small picture and ignored the further repercussions of their actions. Another set of actions could have been undertaken without the needless threat against wildlife. So why choose such an ill informed one?

I would love to hear some one defend it.

It is another example of people ignoring a rural way life to suit their own agenda without respecting what rural life is about.

(I'm 100% against any kind of fur farming btw)

killerbeg

As I understand it these were 'American Mink' so they should be easy enough to round up, they'll be wandering around the Castle in Donegal wearing bermuda shorts and taking photographs of each other:)

killerbeg

Two were just captured trying to buy fresh salmon in Supervalue using US dollars.

Peace

Several were just apprehended in McDonalds. They were in duiguised as regular people but stood out because they ordered Big Macs for breakfast....

BOOM

theblueirish

one of these ran across the road at dalys in lifford last night, doesnt take the wee feckers long

Firblog

Seems that the Coalition to Aboloish the Fur Trade thinks that it is very acceptable to have mink introduced in large numbers to the Irish habitat

http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/donegalnews/Calls-for-calm-on-escaped.6564641.jp

and that people are just being silly; seemingly they're members of the otter family and sure aren't they cuddly....

Durnish

An article about this made it into the Guardian yesterday.

Peace

Firblog wrote: »

Seems that the Coalition to Aboloish the Fur Trade thinks that it is very acceptable to have mink introduced in large numbers to the Irish habitat

http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/donegalnews/Calls-for-calm-on-escaped.6564641.jp

and that people are just being silly; seemingly they're members of the otter family and sure aren't they cuddly....

They sure do have nice fur. Anyone know where i could get a wastcoat made out of mink fur?

Firblog

Peace wrote: »

They sure do have nice fur. Anyone know where i could get a wastcoat made out of mink fur?

ummm... a watscoat?

killerbeg

Firblog wrote: »

ummm... a watscoat?

I think you mean a 'twatscoat'

Ayla

Has anybody considered the cruelty to the mink here? These animals have been cage-born & cage-reared and so have *no idea* how to exist in the real world. That's part of the reason why they're getting run over on the roads...they're so scared when they see a car coming & have no survival instincts anymore.

implausible

Ayla wrote: »

Has anybody considered the cruelty to the mink here? These animals have been cage-born & cage-reared and so have *no idea* how to exist in the real world.

Another reason why the people who did this are idiots.

killerbeg

Ayla wrote: »

Has anybody considered the cruelty to the mink here?

I think the perpetrators of this live in that wonderful land called 'the moral high ground' and the view from there is very skewed. When you live there everything you do is right and brave. Consequences...............they're for the unenlightened.

jmayo

Vinegar Hill wrote: »

http://www.highlandradio.com/2010/09/28/hundreds-of-minks-escape-in-ardara/

Disgraceful carry on. These are dangerous animals and they were apparently released from their cages on the farm. Mink are dangerous to farm animals and salmon. I would hope whoever did this is caught. They have been freed in the Ardara area. I have seen reports that multiple have been killed by cars so far.

Just spotted this thread and have to add that the idiots who released these animals are complete muppets as pointed out by other posters.

These animals are not native to our country.
I have see the damage they do both to farmed animals and our native species.

Some gob***es think they are doing the mink a favour when in fact they aren't really and in the process they are wrecking whole ecosystems.

It would be akin to releasing the big cats from Fota wildlife park in Cork.

At the moment we don't know for sure who released them and I have suspicions it may not always be the animal rights lobby.
But whoever they were they should get very sever fines if they are caught.

oldscoil

jmayo wrote: »

At the moment we don't know for sure who released them and I have suspicions it may not always be the animal rights lobby.
But whoever they were they should get very sever fines if they are caught.

Hi Folks.

I only came across this thread cos I'm on my way to the beautiful North West for the weekend.

This is a terrible act. However I have "feeling" its not animal rights activists.... There are other aspects to be taken into consideration...

A disgruntled ex-employee... etc etc
The Mink trade is struggling for ethical and economical reasons.... etc etc
Little fcukin thugs (Irelands full of the little basterds...in case ya hadn't noticed )

I think activists are too easy a target....

But hopefully we will find out within the next few weeks and the fcukers responsible will be publicaly whipped.

Cruel...yes I know...but hey!??!

Iamcool

I'm glad the mink escaped! They escaped from a life of pure misery with an excrutiating painful death!

implausible

^^^

Troll. With 'excrutiating' spelling to boot.

Noreen1

Iamcool wrote: »

I'm glad the mink escaped! They escaped from a life of pure misery with an excrutiating painful death!

Eh! They didn't "escape". They were released by some fool, with no thought for the consequences of their actions.

I don't approve of fur farming. I don't believe any animal should spend their entire life locked up.

But, I have enough common sense to realise that many of the mink who were released will die "excruciating" deaths.

Some will die from hunger, others will be attacked by wild mink, who are defending their territories. If these unfortunate animals are lucky, the wild mink will kill them relatively quickly.

If not, (and it will happen to some of them) - they will end up badly mauled, and probably drag themselves into a corner somewhere to die slow "excruciating" deaths, from a combination of their injuries and hunger, since their already limited hunting capacity will be even more severely curtailed.

But do feel free to feel "glad" that they "escaped"!

The next "cruelty" issue that you might find interesting, is the effect on the local ecosystem.

You don't seem to be aware of the phrase "Balance of Nature".

Broadly speaking, it works like this.
There are predators, and prey. Generally, nature maintains a balance. Predators cannot overbalance the prey, or they die of hunger.

Sometimes, some "cruel":rolleyes: farmers actually shoot some foxes, to maintain the balance. Most of them do so when there are too many foxes in the immediate area, who would otherwise end up dying of malnutrition.
Most farmers also dislike killing any animal - but accept that sometimes a quick death is preferable to a slow excruciating one for the animal concerned.

Now, consider the effect of releasing several hundred predators into the local ecosystem - instant "Too many predators, not enough prey".

We will see indigenous predators facing a severe food shortage. That includes otters, who compete with the mink for fish stocks. Otters are already severely depleted as a species....... but they should, of course, be condemned to die of hunger, because someone's sensibilities are offended by fur farming.:rolleyes: Foxes will also be affected.

We will see serious damage to fish stocks, especially salmon. Local fishermen have, in some cases, spent tens of thousands of Euro to re-stock rivers..... and those tens of thousands were intended as an investment, to encourage tourism, and to safeguard a local industry.

All this, before we even begin to look at the prey!
Have you ever seen a mink attack chickens? It can get pretty gory....
I've also had the misfortune to find a newborn lamb, (not mine, it belonged to a neighbour)savaged while the sheep was giving birth. It doesn't look pretty.......

I thought about apologising for the length of this post, but I'm not going to.
If it makes one "eco-warrior" think about how ecosystems really work, then it may just prevent another example of real cruelty, like this one.

Noreen

Cicero

baldbear wrote: »

Jaysus the people who let these vermin out havn't a clue.
Recently the government spent €400k on reintroducing six corncrakes and Donegal has one of the best popultaions of Corncrakes in the country.

These minks will destroy the poor auld corncrake! I hope trappers get all these dasterdly minks.

Funny, I thought of this straight away too..think it was in the news over the summer...there's something very special about hearing a corncrake....it's a sign of hope in the world of wildlife as a lot of effort and agreement/co-operation with farmers etc has to happen in order to make it happen...

Firblog

oldscoil wrote: »

Hi Folks.

This is a terrible act. However I have "feeling" its not animal rights activists.... There are other aspects to be taken into consideration...

A disgruntled ex-employee... etc etc
The Mink trade is struggling for ethical and economical reasons.... etc etc
Little fcukin thugs (Irelands full of the little basterds...in case ya hadn't noticed )

I think activists are too easy a target....

But hopefully we will find out within the next few weeks and the fcukers responsible will be publicaly whipped.

Cruel...yes I know...but hey!??!

FYI Your "feeling" is way out. It was "animal rights activists"

1. The culprits were seen cutting the fencing by an employee who lives on site, who's worked there for a few years and he didn't recognise any of them.
2. The mink trade is actually doing quiet nicely economically, seemingly eastern european and chinese people like wearing fur, and are prepared to pay for it.
3. They tried to do the same a week later @ the mink farm in Glenties but thought better of it when alarms and lights went on alerting the owner (with shotgun) Don't think this is typical of "little thugs", more like the behaviour of animal activists who've signed on an collected their money for the week an can afford to travel again....

Also in reply to the poster who believes that the trade is cruel and that the mink have a painful death, well they are caged yes, but there are less of them held per square metre than battery hens, or farmed salmon, they are well cared for as a healthier mink has a better pelt than a sick unhealthy one. Also the mink are gassed with carbon monoxide, which is not a painful or cruel way to kill them. (Chickens are hung upside down, on a coveyor belt and are dipped into water with a current going thru it to knock them out, then the belt carries them to a blade at neck height, which chops their heads of, Salmon are just pulled from the water and basically suffocate)

It seems that most people have a problem with mink farming is that it's done for the skin and the rest of the animal is thrown away. I'm of the opinion that killing an animal for skin/meat/roe etc is all the same, the thing is just as dead no matter what it's killed for - what should matter is that they are well treated while alive.

210

Very well put Noreen1.

Firblog

Ban him... going waaaay off topic..

A.Partridge

Mmmmm...I wonder if Golden Eagles feed on mink?

Firblog

I don't believe so, but I think they are quiet partial to the odd Partridge..

muffler

"Hundreds of mink have escaped"

^ ^ Thats the topic folks so can we please stick to that please.

Thanks.

danniemcq

i'd say that weather woulda blown some of them outta the county so not our problem anymore!

Dan_Solo

If mink could potentially destroy our island's entire ecosystem (which I find difficult to believe given that animals similar to mink were ubiquitous in Europe not so long ago) why were they being farmed in the first place?

muffler

Dan_Solo wrote: »

If mink could potentially destroy our island's entire ecosystem (which I find difficult to believe given that animals similar to mink were ubiquitous in Europe not so long ago) why were they being farmed in the first place?

Off topic. Infraction given.

Dan_Solo

Jesus, 99% of this thread is off topic in that case.
The title is "Hundreds of mink have escaped". Plenty have posted here saying that it will wreck Donegal's ecosystem (even the whole island's:eek:), but saying it won't is off-topic?

muffler

Dan_Solo wrote: »

Jesus, 99% of this thread is off topic in that case.
The title is "Hundreds of mink have escaped". Plenty have posted here saying that it will wreck Donegal's ecosystem (even the whole island's:eek:), but saying it won't is off-topic?

With an attitude like that I dont hold out much hope for you on Boards.ie. You have a week off now from this forum so please use the time wisely and read the forum charter and Boards.ie rules which btw are the rules you agreed to when you signed up.