Posted on 10/29/2007 9:18:44 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BERLIN (AFP) - German conservationists on Monday condemned the freeing of some 17,000 minks from a fur farm, apparently by animal rights activists, saying they would starve in the wild.
"It was a political act, and it has nothing to do with protecting the environment," said Joern Ehlers from the German chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
"These animals are going to die of hunger."
Minks are carnivores who feed on small animals and those freed from the farm in Grabow, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Berlin, risked disturbing the ecological balance in the region, he said.
Thomas Pietsch from animal conservation group "Vier Pfote" (Four Paws) agreed, describing the move as "silliness".
"These American minks are going to upset the balance of the eco system. They will not be able to survive because they have not learnt to hunt and will end up crushed by cars," he told AFP.
He added that fur farms would soon be a thing of the past in Germany as a new law, passed in 2006, sets such strict conditions that farming fur will no longer be profitable.
"In four to nine years, there will not be fur farms in Germany."
The minks were freed overnight on Thursday, sparking frantic efforts to capture them.
More than 50 soldiers, firemen and volunteers have been combing the woods around Grabow and have managed to catch about a third of the furry mammals, police spokesman Frank Weitert said.
So far, nobody has claimed responsibility for freeing the minks.
One of thousands of minks set loose in Germany, 26 October. German conservationists have condemned the release of some 17,000 minks from a fur farm, apparently by animal rights activists, saying they are likely to starve in the wild and could disturb the ecological balance in the region.(AFP/File/Jens Schlueter)
speaking of starving, I wonder what minks taste like?
I don’t have tons of sympathy for the minks, they’re among the nastiest, most vicious animals in existence. Like furry Komodo dragons. Their coats are their only redeeming feature.
I hate enviro-Nazis.
not sure, I used to have a trapper as a neighbor, he used to trap ‘em, not sure what he did with the rest of the mink after he harvested the skins.
Hopefully Carl is their leader...
Just what/where is the mink’s natural environment?
Small price to pay as long as a bunch of activists get to feel self-righteous, which is the important thing.
He just proved what we call the stupid non thinking part of society. Obviously, these people don’t care about them either or they would have thought(if they had any brains)about this through.
I don’t think they would be vary good to eat, like most vermin. But you can always try. I would imagine it would be similar to muskrat, weasels, martin etc. They eat grubs, mice, rats, birds and what ever else they can catch, or find decaying on the ground.
Muskrat isn’t very tasty, I know that from experience. It’s tough and stringy, with strong ‘woody’ taste.
Blah.
Also, these idiots aren’t in the save the animals mode anymore. They are nothing but laundering machines for the politicos and corporations. Someone should ask Hillary if she gets money from them too.
Enviro-wacktovism is as messed up as TROPism.
But these are "tame" mink, raised in captivity. it's not like they were captured from the wild and put on mink farms. They haven't developed any hunting and gathering skills that a wild mink would have learned from it's mother mink. I don't even think mink are indigenous to Germany, their normal wild food sources may not be available.
Very true...even grizzly bears are afraid of them.
Ahh, No. Your thinking of a Badger. Mink can hold their own against simular sized rodents, but they don't go looking for trouble in general.
Brilliant. I wonder how getting squashed by cars is "going to upset the balance of the eco system."
I heard on a trip to Yellowstone that bears were afraid of them...maybe I’m misremembering. As for badgers, I hadn’t heard that they encounter grizzlies, but wolverines will take on grizzlies and cougars to defend their carcasses.
Ask the other mink. I believe after a little while with no food that they turn on each other.
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