Mustasaari Minks Freed from Cages; Chase Ensues

On Friday, August 31, 2007, 2,500 minks were released from their cages at a fur farm in Mustasaari, Finland. Mustasaari is about 250 miles northwest of Helsinki, Finland's capital city.

According to Reuters, Animal Rights activists are suspected in the release of the minks. Fur farmers and others chased down and recaptured about half of those freed within hours of the incident, but expect it may take days to find and capture all of them.

Chief Inspector Mike Jylha told Reuters there were no firm suspects at that time, but he explained there were spray-painted letters "EVR" on one of the farm's silos. He explained that EVR means Animal Liberation Front, in Finnish, but he added that "anyone could write that."

Minks are the most commonly farmed animal for their furs, and are farmed in many countries around the world. Nearly thirty-one million minks are killed each year for their soft, plush furs. (Wikipedia)

During the 1980's and 1990's, intense pressures from activist groups slowed the fur trade down some, but "neuvo-riche" Chinese and Russian demands have fueled an upsurge that has led to a growth in fur farms in countries like China (Wikipedia).

Sources:
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSHER15345220070831
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fur_farming
http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=372&more=1