Iowa Mink & Fox Farm Raided, 1,200+ Mink Released

Posted | 20 comments

FBI investigating the release of over one thousand mink in Jewell, Iowa

Actual photo of caged fox on the Palmer Erickson fur farm

After initially sparse reports, the full story is in: Sometime Thursday night, 1,200 to 1,500 mink were liberated from a fur farm in Jewell, Iowa. The target is confirmed as Palmer Erickson’s fur farm at 3374 Saratoga Avenue, Jewell, IA.

According to various reports, four sheds at the west end of the property had cages opened. There is no report of any foxes being released.  The Animal Liberation Front has not yet claimed responsibility.

Iowa has had more fur farm raids than any other state, with this being the 9th recorded mink farm liberation. After 5 years of steady activity, there were no raids for eight straight years (2003 to 2011). This week’s raid broke a long run of peace for fur farmers in Iowa.

The fur industry response

The response from the Fur Commission USA has been somewhat subdued compared to previous raids. They are only offering a $5,000 reward for the capture of those responsible, down from $100,000 in past years.

A report from the FCUSA covers the fur farmer’s version of how the raid was discovered:

The attack was discovered when the family dogs started barking in the pre-dawn hours, apparently interrupting the raid, as evidence gathered at the site points to a hasty escape by the attackers.

The fur industry in Iowa

The current breakdown of the Iowa fur farming industry is:

17 mink farms (USDA statistics)

8 known fox farms (number confirmed or believed to be open as of 2009)

1 feed supplier (located in Jewell)

One of the fur farms – the Klingbeil Mink Farm in Remsen – is currently up for sale. A website has been set up to promote the sale of the farm: www.iowaminkfarmforsale.com

History of Iowa Animal Liberation Front fur farm raids

According to the list of fur farm raids, this is the third fur farm raided in Jewell, and the last known fur farm in Jewell that has not been raided. One – the Scott Nelson mink farm – was forced to shut down after the ALF raided it twice in one week. In addition to animal releases, the Hawkeye Mink Cooperative (a short distance from the Palmer Erickson farm) was broken into in 2003. Thousands of documents containing fur farm addresses and other info were confiscated in that raid.

Iowa fur farm raid list:

October 19th, 1997
Circle K Farm
Sioux City, Iowa
5,000 mink, 100 fox liberated (more…)

Over 1,000 Mink Liberated in Iowa

Posted | 5 comments

FBI investigating a mink liberation last night in Jewell, Iowa.

Information is sparse, but this morning I received a call that the FBI is making the rounds in Iowa, investigating a mink release that happened last night in Jewell. A few media reports have confirmed the information, estimating the number of mink released at 1,200 to 1,500.

The information available as of now does not identify the farm, but there are two known fur farms in Jewell:

Palmer Erickson
3374 Saratoga Avenue
Jewell, IA 50130
(mink and fox)

Isebrands Fur Farm
3221 Queens Avenue
Jewell, IA 50130
(mink)
2,500 mink released by the Animal Liberation Front, 1999

A third farm in Jewell, owned by Scott Nelson, was raided by the ALF twice in one week in 2001. That farm was forced to shut down.

More information posted as it is available.

-Peter Young

Another Fur Farm Raided: 300 Mink Liberated in Oregon

Posted | 13 comments

Two months before they were slated to be killed by fur farmers, 300 mink were liberated from an Oregon fur farm early Sunday morning. It was the first of two major actions against the northwest fur industry in two nights. 24 hours later, the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. would be set on fire in neighboring Idaho (read article here).

Early Sunday, fur farm owner Carl Salo contacted police and reported mink were running loose on his property. Police estimate the number at 300.

While overall mink farm liberations have declined since the late-1990s, they have surged in Oregon. This was the fourth mink liberation in Astoria alone in the past three years. In July 2010, the Animal Liberation Front took credit for setting fire to to several vehicles and a barn at the Ylipelto mink farm, also in Astoria.

So far, no group has taken responsibility.

– Peter Young

The two most-raided fur farms in the U.S. close down

Posted | 7 comments

The two fur farms most raided by the A.L.F. both go out of business

Two fur farms in the U.S. have been raided by the Animal Liberation Front more than any others: Brainards Mink Ranch (Snohomish, WA, raided five times) and the Carmel Mink Ranch (Hinsdale, MA, raided four times). In the last several months, both farms have been reported closed.

Brainard’s Mink Ranch was the closest known mink farm to Seattle, and saw a total of five mink releases as far back as 1996. Carmel Mink Ranch was the closest mink farm to Boston, and in 1997 four activists were arrested in a raid at the farm. In that action, six mink were liberated before police arrived.

It is unlikely the A.L.F. can be directly credited for the closures – Brainard’s Mink Ranch was last raided in 2001, while Carmel Mink Ranch was last visited by the A.L.F. in 2007.  However the closures will perhaps bring a little peace to those who have visited their sheds in many overnight actions over the years and given freedom to their prisoners.

– Peter Young

Complete List of A.L.F. Fur Farm Raids

Posted | 10 comments

A list of every known U.S. Animal Liberation Front fur farm raid

This took some work to compile, but here it is: a list of every reported fur farm raid in the United States. From the first (incomplete) report of a fur farm raid in 1986, to the most recent: 400 mink liberated from a fur farm outside Seattle. Most of these were claimed by the Animal Liberation Front, while many were not.

This info was compiled from two sources: A.L.F. Complete Diary of Actions book, and Bite Back.

The final tally:
88 fur farm raids
Just under 130,000 animals freed

If you notice any omissions or errors, please contact me. I want this list to be as thorough as possible.

Fur Farm Raid List

1986
Unnamed farm
Near Portland, Oregon
66 silver foxes liberated

August 13th, 1995
Davidson Fur Farm
Annendale, Minnesota
One coyote liberated

November 16th, 1995
Jordan Mink Ranch
Olympia, Washington
400 mink liberated
CLOSED

November 16th, 1995
Ma Ellis Fox Farm
Pleasant View, Tenessee
30 foxes liberated
CLOSED

January 15th, 1996
Zimbal Mink Ranch
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
400 mink liberated

April 4th, 1996
W. Bennet Fur Farm
Victor, New York
1,700 mink liberated

June, 1996
Brainard Fur Farm
Snohomish, Washington
80 mink liberated
CLOSED

June 7th, 1996
Fur Breeder’s Agricultural Cooperative
Sandy, Utah
75 mink liberated

June 21st, 1996
Unknown fur farm
Riverton, Utah
1,000 mink liberated

July 4th, 1996
Latzig Mink Ranch
Howard Lake, Minnesota
1,000 mink liberated
NOW A FERRET FARM

July 17th, 1996
Holt Mink Ranch
South Jordan, Utah
3,000 mink liberated

August 9th, 1996
Carmel Mink Ranch
Hinsdale, Massachusettes
1,000 mink liberated
CLOSED

August 12th, 1996
Jorney Mink Ranch
Alliance, Ohio
2,500 mink liberated

(more…)

More A.L.F. Fur Farm Raid Photos (cont’d from yesterday)

Posted | 0 comments

These photos were omitted from yesterday’s post, and are among the best. They show mink running free the morning after the A.L.F. released 7,000 animals from a mink farm in Kaysville, Utah, in 2008.

See yesterday’s post for the full story.

(click on photo to enlarge)

More Morning-After Photos of an A.L.F. Mink Liberation

Posted | 0 comments

More FBI photos from the aftermath of an A.L.F. fur farm raid

Last week, Animal Liberation Front-line posted anonymously-submitted FBI photos showing a fur farm the morning after an Animal Liberation Front raid. I am posting more photos from the same FBI file, this time of another Utah A.L.F. raid – the 2008 release of 7,000 mink from the Chuck Lodder fur farm in Kaysville, Utah.

These photos were received anonymously. You can see more photos and FBI documents in the upcoming issue of Bite Back (subscribe here).

The photos were taken by the FBI, and used as evidence in the William Viehl / Alex Hall A.L.F. case. They show cut fences, damaged equipment, and freed mink still on the property the morning after the raid. The FBI took these photos to document the “crime scene” after anonymous A.L.F. raiders opened cages and liberated 7,000 mink. No one has ever been charged with the action.

In an upcoming article, I will post a special related document:  an account of the morning after this liberation in a local fur farmer’s own words.

(click on photo to enlarge)

Released FBI Photos Show the Aftermath of an ALF Raid

Posted | 3 comments

Never-before-seen FBI images of the morning after a Utah Animal Liberation Front mink release

Animal Liberation Front-line has received an anonymous set of files containing hundreds of documents from the William Viehl / Alex Hall Animal Liberation Front case. The files contained hundreds of pages of interview transcripts, affidavits, and more, giving a rare glimpse inside an FBI Animal Liberation Front investigation.

Viehl and Hall were convicted last year for liberating 650 mink from the McMullin fur farm in South Jordan, Utah.

The files received contained dozens of photos taken in the aftermath of two A.L.F. mink releases.  These photos, never seen before, show liberated mink, torn-open cages, A.L.F. graffiti, sabotaged vehicles, and more.

The photos obtained show the aftermath of two A.L.F. raids:

Lindsey McMullin fur farm – South Jordan, Utah (650 mink released)

Chuck Lodder fur farm – Kaysville, Utah (7,000 mink released)

This post showcases photos from the Lindsey McMullin farm. In an article later this week, I will be posting photos from the raided Kaysville farm.

The best of the photos have not been included here, and can only be seen in the upcoming issue of Bite Back magazine. To get a copy of this issue, subscribe here.

These photos offer an extremely rare look inside a fur farm after a visit by the Animal Liberation Front.

– Peter Young

(click on photo to enlarge)

Mink Liberation Reported in Idaho

Posted | 4 comments

Details are sparse, but law enforcement sources have reported a previously unknown mink release on July 13th in Franklin, Idaho.

The only details available are from a police report, stating that approximately 30 mink were released from their cages around midnight. Information suggests all of the mink were recovered. No other information is available.

According to The Blueprint: Fur Farm Intelligence Project Report, Franklin, Idaho is home to as many as nine active mink farms.  Two of them were confirmed open in 2009.

The action has not been claimed by any clandestine animal liberation group.

– Peter Young

VICTORY: Activists Shut Down Oregon Mink Farm

Posted | 8 comments

Police to media: A.L.F. tactics shut down Astoria, Oregon mink farm

When activists set fire to equipment and a barn at the Ylipelto Fur Farm in Astoria, Oregon tuesday, police say the farm had been closed for over six months. And the farm didn’t go the way of a graceful retirement, police say – two previous mink liberations forced the farm to shut down.

The following quote from Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin is among the best endorsements of direct action ever offered. Referring to the Ylipelto Fur Farm’s closure:

“They had all kinds of incidents out there,” Bergin said. “They got rid of all their minks because they had been released twice. There’s been all kinds of crazy stuff. They are an older couple. They said, ‘We’re tired, we’re done.'”

The Ylipelto Mink Farm has been the site of two mink liberations in recent years. The first occurred in October 2008, where 1,500 mink were released.  The second raid occurred October 4th, 2009, when 300 mink were released. The farm closed in December, 2009, two months after the second raid.

In the past, mink farms have made statements to the media claiming to be closed (presumably to escape being targeted by activists), only later to be found to have lied. Only an independent on-site investigation of the farm will confirm its closure, but if closed, the twice-targeted Ylipelto Fur Farm showcases the power of militant intervention in animal exploitation.

The Ylipelto Fur Farm is another victory in the Animal Liberation Front(and other anonymous groups)’s clandestine war to save animals from exploitation where legal means have failed. We must give gratitude to the heroes who brought this sick business to its end.

– Peter Young

Liberated Mink Survive in the Wild, Study Shows

Posted | 7 comments

Study shows released mink survive in the wild.

Laying to waste fur industry claims that liberated mink do not survive in the wild, a recent study published in  April 2009 studies the survival rate of captive-bred mink when released. The study, done in partnership with Oxford University, tracked the survival of released mink over eight years. The study found that none of the released mink died directly due to lack of survival skills.

For years, anecdotal evidence and quotes from wildlife biologists supported the possibility of high survival rates for released mink. For example, view this article on a (now removed) blog post from a Utah woman finding a mink in her yard near the McMullin Fur Farm, 18 months after it was raided by the Animal Liberation Front.

The Mink Release Study

The study (viewed here), is titled “The survival of captive-born animals in restoration programmes – Case study of the endangered European mink Mustela lutreola“.

The study set out to answer the following questions:

1. What is the survival rate of released mink and how does it
change with time since release?
2. Do age, sex of an individual, and the conditions in which it is
kept prior to release, affect its subsequent survival in the wild?
3. What are causes of mortality?

A few of the factors which could mitigate the relevance of this study are:

*The study was done with endangered European mink, not the commonly farmed North American mink.
*The study did not specify how many generations the mink had been bred in captivity (though, as reprinted below, it concluded this was not relevant to survival).

Mink Release Study Highlights

*”There was no evidence that the number of generations for which the lineage of the released individuals had been bred in captivity had any effect on survival.”

*Released mink survived for “up to 39 months”

*”The main cause of death was other carnivores and raptors, although this broad categorization may conceal a diversity of fatal scenarios.”

*(Only)”…three deaths were caused by humans: one was shot, the second was hit by a car and the third was beaten to death when venturing into a farmyard.”

*A quarter of the released European mink died within the first ten days. Survival decreased by half in 38 days and then stabilized….Overall, we conclude that mink adapt to the wild c. 1–1.5 months after release.”

*No mink were found to have died (directly) due to lack of survival skills.

*”The results show that genetically managed, long-term breeding programs within the zoo community can be a source of individuals for re-introductions”.

The study includes graphs charting survival rates and more.

Fur Industry Lies

In the wake of mink liberations by the A.L.F., the fur industry’s stock-response, without exception, is that released mink will not survive in the wild. They are likely to have no comment on this recent study, which proves these soundbites to be false.

Conclusion

Now we have a study published in partnership with a major university, in a credible academic journal, proving what the Animal Liberation Front and critical thinkers have believed for years: farm-raised mink retain their wild instincts, and when released, can reassimilate successfully into their native habitat.

– Peter Young

Lynx Farm to Police: “Terrorists” Will Release Animals

Posted | 3 comments

Nations largest lynx farm calls 911, fearing an impending raid of their farm

9:53 p.m. February 2nd

An employee of the notorious Fraser Fur Farm (Ronan, MT) called 911 on February 2nd to report they feared an impending raid of their farm. The employee told 911 they received an anonymous call that “terrorist” members of an “animal welfare coalition” will “invade the property and attempt to release the farm’s animals”.

Fraser Fur Farm is known as the largest wild cat farm in the country. Despite lynx being classified as a “threatened” species, it is believed Fraser Fur Farm imprisons at least 50 of the large cats. Most information known about the farm is found in an anonymous report featured in The Blueprint – Fur Farm Intelligence Project Report. There are 14 licensed bobcat and lynx farms in Montana.

View the anonymous report on Fraser Fur Farm here.

To date, there have been no reported Animal Liberation Front actions at Fraser Fur Farm.

– Peter Young