5000 mink escape in Donegal

artvandulet

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1PHCOpZR8Jb1siMeZD-6Pcz-zdAD9IHL8501?docId=D9IHL8501

Ireland hunting down thousands of escaped minks
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK (AP) – 1 hour ago
DUBLIN — The roads and rivers of northwest Ireland are suddenly lined with mink.
Managers at Anderson's Mink Farm said Wednesday that many of their cages and fences were cut and opened over the weekend, freeing an estimated 5,000 animals into the wilds of County Donegal. About 28,000 others declined the invitation to bolt for freedom.
More than 100 already have been recaptured by hunters using cage traps, while several hundred others have been run over and killed. Drivers have reported seeing groups of the farm-reared animals standing, dazzled by headlights, in the middle of busy roads.
One of the farm's directors, Connie Anderson, blamed animal rights activists for invading the farm in the early hours of Sunday. He declined to explain why it took the farm so long to raise the public alarm.
"These people are animal liberation terrorists and had no thought for the mink or for the damage that will be done to other wildlife in the area," Anderson said.
Agricultural authorities warned that the surviving minks could decimate local populations of salmon, rabbits and fowl.
Animal rights activists in Ireland have denied responsibility — but are praising whoever did it.
"We have nothing to do with it. However, I commend whoever risked their freedom to do this as these animals have a horrendous life," said Bernie Wright, spokeswoman for Ireland's Alliance for Animal Rights.

Biggins

Good!

Snakeblood

artvandulet wrote: »

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1PHCOpZR8Jb1siMeZD-6Pcz-zdAD9IHL8501?docId=D9IHL8501



Standing by for puns....

It's interesting they're not claiming responsibility, and the farm itself didn't raise the alarm. Maybe it was down to someone leaving the locks off.

artvandulet

Snakeblood wrote: »

It's interesting they're not claiming responsibility, and the farm itself didn't raise the alarm. Maybe it was down to someone leaving the locks off.

animal rights activists apparently.

artvandulet

artvandulet wrote: »

Standing by for puns....

Not really a time for puns in my opinion. It's very serious, the mink will decimate the local salmon population and other native creatures.

Daemos

Just when I was trying to think what my 5,000th post should be, this pops up

Excellent

SeaFields

Environmental terrorism.

Those things will kill all around them. :mad:

artvandulet

Deleted User wrote: »

Not really a time for puns in my opinion. It's very serious, the mink will decimate the local salmon population and other native creatures.

point taken. I admit ignorance on the subject of minks.



edit: including how to pluralise mink!

Biggins

I'm glad they escaped but if they cause damage to the environment, that I would not be pleased to see.

They are originally a creature from Russia aren't they?

seagull

Anyone releasing mink is an environmental vandal and should be flogged. They certainly should not try calling themselves animal rights activists. The bulk of those released will die of hunger as they don't know how to fend for themselves. Those mink that manage to figure it out cause devastation to the local wildlife. They are voracious predators that breed rapidly.

In short - just learn the consequences of your actions, and **** off if you're too stupid to know the damage you're causing to the local ecology.

FoxT

the story doesn't fit well somehow. When I heard it first I thought the mink farmers might have let them out themselves, either to collect insurance or as a protest against mink farming being banned. ( When does the ban come into effect BTW??) I had not ruled out Animal rights activists either - but even the wackiest one ought to realise the damage that the mink would do to other wildlife. Then again, apparently not, as AR people were in the media today praising the action.


I think something has yet to come out in the wash here.

- FoxT

Social Disorder

[QUOTE=artvandulet]Standing by for puns....[/QUOTE]

As was I...

In truth I was really waiting for them to "get their coat"...for further inspection.

Snakeblood

artvandulet wrote: »

animal rights activists apparently.

The animal rights activists didn't claim responsibility though.

They're saying it's a good thing (which it's not really) though.

SeaFields

Biggins wrote: »

I'm glad they escaped but if they cause damage to the environment, that I would not be pleased to see.

They are originally a creature from Russia aren't they?

North America.

Whatever your opinion on fur farming (something that I'm not a fan of either) leaving these things out into the wild is disastrous for the local wildlife. If this is indeed the work of animal rights activists they need a lesson in ecology. :rolleyes:

phasers

Those poor mink must be freaking out

Sykk

I love that name... MINK!... Mink mink mink!

They're deadly looking too

flas

there is thousands of minks roaming around in longford aswell, in hi-aces and the likes and selling carpets!

up for anything

Reminds me of a very old joke.

Q How do girls get minks?
A The same way minks get minks.

deman

Biggins wrote: »

Good!

Care to explain what's "good" about it?

It's a lose:lose situation for all concerned, the minks will hunt and kill whatever it can, there isn't enough "meat" to suddenly feed 5000 wild minks that are in a new environment so most of them will die from hunger.

What's good??

jesus_thats_gre

I bet the animal rights lads thought that they were onto a winner when planning this stunt...

fontanalis

Animal rights protestors unleashing 5,000 animals that aren't native to a region and that will cause god kows how much damage to the native wild life. Morons, complete and utter morons.

mikemac

Go to a halting site in Galway and you'll find minks
Galway folk have strange phrases

Anyway, these animal rights activists might have thought they were doing good but this is going devastate local wildlife.

Snakeblood

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I bet the animal rights lads thought that they were onto a winner when planning this stunt...

There's no evidence they did it. It actually seems somewhat likely they didn't.*


*N.B. I AM GUESSING, NOT SAYING FOR A FACT.

Corsendonk

Total pest to native irish birds. The mink is now in every county in Ireland due to people releasing them over the years. Another example of the stupity of the radical animal rights.

fontanalis

Biggins wrote: »

Good!

No for the love of god no. Whatever your views on fur trading letting that much mink loose is natures equivelant of opning pandorras box.

My name is URL

Stupid woolly headed arseholes.. it's ironic that their actions will most likely cause more damage to animals than if the mink were left in the cages.

Pookah

artvandulet wrote: »

Standing by for puns.

None so far.

Fur shame, AH.

fontanalis

Pookah wrote: »

None so far.

Fur shame, AH.

You should be pelted for that.

Feeona

Pookah wrote: »

None so far.

Fur shame, AH.

It's hard to think of a link for mink

seagull

If you ever want to hear truly scathing comments about animal rights groups and bunny huggers, go and talk to genuinely informed environmentalists and ecologists. These idiots are a scourge. Rescuing beagles is one thing. Releasing mink should be rewarded with charges of environmental terrorism and serious jail time.

Mrmoe

The people who did this should be hunted down and imprisoned. They needlessly will cause the deaths of many wild birds and animals as well as the minks themselves.

Biggins

deman wrote: »

Care to explain what's "good" about it?

It's a lose:lose situation for all concerned, the minks will hunt and kill whatever it can, there is enough "meat" to suddenly feed 5000 wild minks that are in a new environment so most of them will die from hunger.

What's good??

You clearly in your rush to comment, by-passed comment number 9.

Biggins

SeaFields wrote: »

North America.

Whatever your opinion on fur farming (something that I'm not a fan of either) leaving these things out into the wild is disastrous for the local wildlife. If this is indeed the work of animal rights activists they need a lesson in ecology. :rolleyes:

Cheers. I thought it was originally a Russian thing.
All those Russian winters and their fur type coats possibly made me think of that.
...And indeed, I would not like to see the environment effected by their release.
Especially 5000 of them.

Dyr

SeaFields wrote: »

Environmental terrorism.

Those things will kill all around them. :mad:

Indeed, minks are scumbag hunters after all :pac:

SeaFields

Biggins wrote: »

Cheers. I thought it was originally a Russian thing.

I'm sure there's mink in that area of the world too. I believe, but am open to correction, that the mink used in the farms here are the north american mink.

No matter where its from its an alien species here so not good.

Biggins

SeaFields wrote: »

I'm sure there's mink in that area of the world too. I believe, but am open to correction, that the mink used in the farms here are the north american mink.

No matter where its from its an alien species here so not good.

Such is the scale of the release, is there a chance a new wild growth of them could happen?

starbelgrade

Think of all the animals you've ever heard about, like rhinocoruses and tigers cats and mink.

There are lots of funny animals in all this world.

But have you ever seen.......?

Pookah

^^

I think something just happened to Starbelgrade.

Is he near Donegal?

DundalkDuffman

starbelgrade wrote: »

Think of all the animals you've ever heard about, like rhinocoruses and tigers cats and mink.

There are lots of funny animals in all this world.

But have you ever seen.......?

A Panda that is pink?:o

starbelgrade

He really is a groovy cat, and what a gentleman, a scholar, what an acrobat.

mikemac

I suppose one blessing is it isn't lambing season this time of year.

SeaFields

Biggins wrote: »

Such is the scale of the release, is there a chance a new wild growth of them could happen?

I'm by no means an expert in these matters. Some alien species are more adept at adapting to new environments than others. There has being on on-going war raging against the mink for years through trapping and shooting. They nevertheless survive. While these ones are just out of a farm and so a lot will probably become road traffic kills and the like, some will survive and breed.

The war starts over...

starbelgrade

More stuff to run over on the road. If it wasn't bad enough with all the feckin' badgers the last while.

Daisy Steiner

Biggins wrote: »

I'm glad they escaped but if they cause damage to the environment, that I would not be pleased to see.

They are originally a creature from Russia aren't they?

Minsk? :pac:

I've heard that the wild mink are black and those that are bred on such farms are brown . . . is this correct?

I saw a black mink last January during the really cold spell, my one and only time seeing one. They have a very curious gait, almost like they are hobbling.

AckwelFoley

up for anything wrote: »

Reminds me of a very old joke.

Q How do girls get minks?
A The same way minks get minks.

Never heard that one before. lol

Big Nasty

Ah, the poor little minky-moos!

Rycn

There are two species of Mink, the American Mink and the European Mink.

Wertz

Whoa, 5K of them? I thought that figure was downplayed to more like 10% of that, the farm owner on the radio this morning said it was nothing like 5K but couldn't put a precise number on it.

Letting these things out is as bad for them as it is for the countryside they're released into, and we already have a problem with proper ferrile mink, descendants of escapees in years past.
If these guys were true environmentalists they'd have gassed the cages and killed the herd(?)...but you can't kill furry things no matter how vicious or alien they are to the local wildlife, even our native hunters apart from maybe cats or foxes are at risk from them, sometimes even humans:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/156162.stm

F*ckin idiots watching too many PETA vids on youtube.

storm2811

5000?!
I was listening to this on the radio yesterday evening, they were saying it was 300-400 but 5000?
Fcuking hell.
Mink will kill everything and anything, people who keep fowl are always at risk for mink attacks.
A few years all my chickens were wiped out, presumably by mink or pinemartins.
This won't end well...

oppenheimer1

Biggins wrote: »

You clearly in your rush to comment, by-passed comment number 9.

Clearly in your rush to comment you by-passed rational thought.

Rycn

If that many escaped, I doubt they'll make it through winter.

The adults will have no hunting skills and the shortage of food will multiply the effects.

No need to worry in my opinion.

Mink are very territorial animals. A male mink will not tolerate another male within its territory. The territories, which tend to be long and narrow, stretch along river banks, or around the edges of lakes or marshes. Sizes vary, but they can be several miles long.

Let the chaos unfold.