Has anyone heard whether the mink farm with the recent release also had ferrets as more than a few do? It has not been well covered around here. Every single time this sort of thing happens huge numbers of mink and often other animals (such a ferrets) wind up dying. (It was the biggest worry back when I worked with primates, too, since they require very specialized care and need lots, and lots, and lots of room and proper socializing to thrive so most "liberated" ones die absolutely horrible, horrible ways.), It's terrible reading and hearing about all those dead and suffering released mink. Yes, the farms are terrible as are a number of labs, but there are sometimes worse fates and those minks met them, just as something over 60 ferrets did maybe a half year ago in another release. Some of these happen because of brain-dead folks who "think" they know what they are doing instead of learning first (duh), but at times I wonder if some of these are committed by the same people who feed rat poison to kittens just to see the carnage and get on the news. (Sorry about blowing up, but I really am wrung out about those poor critters' suffering when the time would have been better spend picketing a fur store or otherwise tackling the problem constructively.) [Posted in FML issue 1956]