Release of 17,000 mink

Three simultaneous raids on 3 separate mink farms took place on 14th October in the autonomous community of Galicia in the northwest of Spain. According to Spanish media, a total of 17,000 mink were released from cages on the three unrelated fur farms located dozens of kilometres apart from each other.

Spanish ALF release 17,000 mink from 3 separate farms
October 18, 2006
http://www.arkangelweb.org

Three simultaneous raids on 3 separate mink farms took place on 14th October in the autonomous community of Galicia in the northwest of Spain. According to Spanish media, a total of 17,000 mink were released from cages on the three unrelated fur farms located dozens of kilometres apart from each other.

The biggest liberation took place at a farm belonging to well-known mink breeder and fur garment designer, Charo Carillo. Media reports claim 10,500 mink were released from the farm located in Oza Dos Ríos. The farm is considered one of the 10 most valuable mink breeding facilities in the world by the fur industry.

According to the reports, Carillo had been away on business in Denmark, where she had received accolades for her 20 years of work in breeding mink. News reports showed a tearful Carillo explaining that her 20 years of genetic research and documentation would never be recovered and that she would now have to start all over again.

Activists apparently were unable to create an escape route through the surrounding security fencing on the Carillo farm, and therefore removed the farm's 3 outer doors and used them as ramps for the mink to scale, giving the animals a choice of either running through the open space or using ramps to climb the fence. The farm was estimated to have housed 11,000 mink. As of the publication of this article, it is unclear how many of the mink have since been recaptured and there have been reports that some have possible been killed by neighbours.

Although no arrests have yet been made, science students from Santiago and A Coruña are being questioned. According to police, these are the same people who were suspected of having carried out similar liberations in Galicia in July 2005 in which 30,000 mink were released from one farm, resulting in its closure.

In Negreira, 600 mink escaped from a small farm through a hole cut into the fencing in the back part of the farm. It is reported that more than 600 were initially released from their cages, though only 600 were able to find the escape route, causing a nuisance for the farm's owner, who had to scramble to cover the hole and recapture the loose animals remaining on his property. Newspapers report that the owner made threatening statements towards those responsible for the raid.

One of the mink released in MurosThe third farm, located in Muros, had 6,000 mink released from the property. Activists used a hammer and bolt cutters to cut through locks and fences and a bag of rotten fish to entice the mink through the hole in the fencing.

Activists stated in their communiqué on the Muros raid that "...every animal who can enjoy freedom should be free, no matter what his/her race, sex or species is. No argument can justify speciesist slavery.

The only environmental terrorism is to let this business keep going. These farms are contaminating the environment with waste and are destroying the ocean life through over-fishing to find food for minks.

[And] while fur farmers say that [cage bred] minks do not survive in the wild: where they will not survive is in the cages, where they have no escape. They inevitably all end up as a fur coat."

While the raids have given some mink the opportunity to live out their lives in freedom, they also served what could perhaps be called a more important purpose by sparking debates on television and national and local newspapers about the necessity and ethics of fur garments. Though condemning the raids, newspapers have featured articles that mention the cruelty involved in the fur trade and the damage the industry causes to the environment by breeding non-native animals.

Galicia is an important region to the fur industry for mink breeding. 40 mink farms still operate throughout the region. Police and fur industry officials now worry that these recent raids, including last year's, will encourage other activists to carry out similar acts.

Communique received by activists in Spain:

"14th of october we carried out an action for Animal Liberation in the farm of the mercenary Jesus Troitiño Rial, in Negreira, were he kept 5000 mink waiting in small cages to be killed and cut open to get their fur by the evil fur industry.

We showed in this way our purpose to fight speciesm in general and our determination to achieve freedom to every animal encaged. Each one of the mink that is running free at this moment is for us a reason of celebration.

Since the beginning we knew that the mass media would attack us with arguments used by the fur industry, but none of these arguments are valid.

First of all every animal who can enjoy freedom should be free, doesnt matter his race, sex or species. No argument can justify the speciest slavery.

There is no such environmental destruction. Mink are animals totally territorial and they spread themselves in the environment to find their own territory. This way they do the work that years ago the European mink were doing, now a days exterminated by the fur industry. This argument can be found in lots of ethology books about this species.

The only environmental terrorism is to let this business keep going. These farms are contaminating the environment with excrement and are destroying the seas fishing to find food for the minks.

The furriers also say that mink are not going to survive in wild; where they are not going to survive is in the cages. No one can escape from them, all finish in a fur coat.

Until the fur industry is disappeared
Until the last mink is free
FLA"

How well is the environment for mink in Galicia? Can they survive well on their own there?

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