August 2003: Animal Rights Activists Release Captive Mink

A caged mink on a fur farm. The mink will be eventually slaughtered for its fur. [Source: NYC Animal Rights]Activists with the Animal Liberation Front (ALF—see 1976) release approximately 10,000 mink held captive on a “fur farm” in Sultan, Washington. The mink are slated to be killed and have their fur turned into coats and other items of apparel. The activists may have used instructions from the online guide “The Final Nail: Destroying the Fur Industry—A Guided Tour,” which lists the addresses of “fur farms” as well as giving other information about disrupting their operations. The mink release causes approximately $10,000 in damages. An ALF statement claims credit for the release, and warns that “all institutions of animal exploitation—regardless of any attempts to conceal their bloody operations—will be located and the animals liberated.” The mink release is the area’s third in three years. [Anti-Defamation League, 2005]