How It Was Done: Mink Farm Closes After Two ALF Raids in One Week
Anonymously-written story of how the Animal Liberation Front shut down an Iowa fur farm.
Part twelve in a thirty-article series this month on the ALF’s fur farm campaign.
“In the week of October 16th, 2001, an ALF cell of three took wire cutters to the fences of a mink farm in Ellsworth, Iowa and released nearly 2,000 animals. Many mink were recaptured. Six days later they returned to free them. The farm closed its doors forever. This is that story.”
So begins the article written by an anonymous participant in the ALF raid of the Scott Nelson fur farm in Ellsworth, Iowa. This article was originally published in an early issue of Bite Back Magazine (click here to buy back issues).
This action was significant for a few reasons:
- This was the first time the ALF raided a farm twice in one week. After the first liberation, Scott Nelson boasted in the media that he had recaptured most of the animals and had resumed business as usual. The ALF then returned six days later and re-freed every animal.
- The first of the two raids was the first mink liberation in the US documented on video. The video was released to activists and the media following the action.
- The second raid shut the farm down forever.
Farm confirmed closed in 2009
I personally went to the site of this farm in 2009 to verify that it had in fact closed. After confirming the exact location of the farm through old satellite images, I drove to the location, just north of the town of Jewell. Where the sheds once stood, I found nothing but a field of corn.
The Scott Nelson farm was a short distance from the site of three other ALF (or unclaimed) actions. The Isebrands fur farm, Palmer Erickson fur farm, and Hawkeye Mink Cooperative are each less than three miles away.
Also of note: 48 hours after the first liberation at the Scott Nelson farm, Double T Farms (a breeder of pigeons for vivisection) was raided and 162 birds were freed.
Read this inspiring story of how three people accomplished a tremendous victory for fur farm prisoners.
This is the twelfth of 30 articles I will be posting in December on the ALF’s fur farm campaign. Sign up for the email list to get every update sent to your inbox, or check back daily.
Animal Liberation Front raids Iowa fur farm twice in one week
GodBless these brave souls. The law of man does not restrict the souls of these brave people who liberate animals from certain cruel, torturous deaths. In the Dead Sea Scrolls (something man has not been able to rewrite) Jesus said: And whosoever careth for one of the least of these, and giveth it to eat and drink in its need, the same doeth it unto me, and whoso willingly suffereth one of these to be in want, and defendeth it not when evilly entreated, suffereth the evil as done unto me; for as ye have done in this life, so shall it be done unto you in the life to come.
YOU ARE HEROS!!! Love what you did and more action needs more people!!! Thank you for your dedication to the love of all animals. Though the world and its people seem to be so heartless, it is wonderful, always, to hear about success. THANK YOU!!!!
THANK YOU!!!! I hope the trend catches on until the last fur farm is forced to shut down…
YOU ARE GREATEST HEROES EVER AND HAVE MY TOTAL ADMIRATION ! GOD BLESS YOU ! UIARA
You guys are just awesome … you rock.
thank you a million times over for what you do.
We need more organizations like ALF.
Thank you ALF for all your love for the animals, I will be leaving you money in my will along with the Soi Dog foundation.