I grew up in New Hampton, Iowa.  I live in Florida, but New Hampton is
still my "home town".  I got the September 8 edition of the New Hampton
Tribune yesterday (Friday).  Front page story and picture on the mink farm
release.  It says that 10,000 of the 14,000 mink on the farm were released
and the local hiway is taking its toll.  One paragraph says "Dozens of
family and friends are helping collect the domesticated animals and return
them to the safety of the farm." DOMESTICATED ANIMAL?  Fourteen thousand
animals raised in cages.  How much human interaction do you think they get?
SAFETY OF THE FARM?  Well, safe until killed, anyway.  The farm has been
run by the Drewelow family for over 60 years.  As a child, I visited the
farm on occasion.  Farm raised mink are NOT cuddly ferrets.  Put your
finger in the cage, you pull back a stub.  Not their fault.  Nature made
them this way.  They are no more "domesticated" than lions in a zoo.
 
  Another paragraph, " 'Releasing farm animals is a crime and animal
cruelty', stated Teresa Platt, executive director of Fur Commission USA.
'The people who did this will be held accountable for the damage done to the
animals and the family farm.' "
 
  I guess your definition of "animal cruelty" varies according to who signs
your paycheck, Teresa.
 
  Of course the released mink will suffer.  However, they are a lot tougher
than our ferrets.  They live outside summer and winter.  Many will survive.
Many will be caught.  And, yes, many will die.  Come time to harvest their
fur, and they ALL would have died, anyway.
 
We have nylon, wool, orlon, and cotton.  Do you know anyone who REALLY
needs a fur coat?
 
Charlie, Aggie, Donna, Snowball, and Valentine
Missing Cujo and Bandit
[Posted in FML issue 3177]