In yesterday's posting I was referring to a mink farm in Utah where
someone had set free a good number of mink. Good for those who did
that.
These mink were fighting very hard for their freedom. They were biting
and for sure I would not want my hand in their reach where it would be
the same as putting your hand in a garbage disposal but these animals
were fighting in fear for their lives.
The ferret and mink are so very close in genetic make up one can easily
be confused for the other. They behave alike, look alike and are alike
in almost every way. I just do NOT support mink farms or their product.
Hope you also share my sentiments.
Gordon, Peekaboo, and Pester
J Gordon Bengtson
Aarrow-Ranch Aviation
Mechanicsville, Virginia 23111
[Posted in FML 6103]
=========================================================================Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:21:28 -0700
From: Sandaili <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Mink or Ferrets
Unfortunately, the mink farm business is on the rise after a small
decline in the last 10 years. This is sad news. Even sadder is that
China's fur trade - involving cats, dogs, and whatever else comes in -
crated, crammed together from the streets and elsewhere, skinned and
fur sold - that fur comes here to the US and is sold everywhere without
tags stating so. We don't buy fur unless it's rabbit pelts, from the
Native American shop (which are locally produced). These pelts were
used to comfort a naked fuzzy who was adrenal. She toted them
everywhere with her until she passed away.
The animal rights groups who simply release the mink into the wild
(directly) do not help at all. I know someone who runs a mink rescue
after many mink were turning up starving after being released. Many
mink are just like our ferrets - dependent on humans for food and
water. Most will not adjust to wild living when turned loose, not
without a rehabilitation period. Some groups take a few animals and do
that, but these "groups" are just random groups of people who decide
to do something, not particularly organized, and so it's not like they
can "liberate" an entire farm and expect to rehab all of the mink. And
when they just release them, the mink suffer, starve, thirst, and get
run over by cars. I have seen pictures of kids and grown ups picking
up released mink....
What I would LIKE to see is more humane methods of euthanasia for mink.
There are several methods but most of them involve outdated methods
including electrocution. If the US will not ban the fur industry, they
should at least mandate humane euthanasia, but the cheaper methods are
what farms will tend to use.
As for mink as pets, they don't make the greatest of pets. A stronger
bite (let's say, less inhibited bite, since I think a ferret bite when
determined enough can be on par), more agile, in general healthier but
faster, more independent, different diet, smell more, love to play in
water....and more possessive and territorial than most ferrets.
Laryssa
[Posted in FML 6103]
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