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Relative to other fur choices and wool (and plenty of man-made choices), mink is not that warm or durable.
Mink is popular bc it's super easy to farm these animals.
So spare me how 'useful' mink fur is.
Mink has long been a status symbol. Practically in primitive times it was used as a liner for Winter clothes. Also for all season undergarments. Today it's actual practical uses are very limited. However, that doesn't justify the actions of these nut cases who opened the cages.
Farm raised mink are unable to live in the wild, as they are fed daily in captivity. They have no prey instinct. Releasing them is a death sentence .
The people who did this profess to be "animal lovers " but in reality their motive is anti business, and anti profit.
Jim B.
Oh, they have plenty of prey instinct, all right. But the problem for the mink is there would not be enough prey to keep them alive. They could turn to cannibalism very quickly.
They wouldn't have many hunting skills, and mink have a very fast metabolism, so many would starve before they learned how to hunt efficiently.
But if there were any farms with small domestic livestock in the area, the mink would go to slaughtering chickens, lambs, pullets, piglets, kittens, puppies, or anything they thought they could kill, along with rats, mice, wild bird's eggs, bats, and whatever life that exists on farms.
They can't kill a human very well, but they can sure mangle someone's arms, hands, legs, or face. Mink are larger than weasels, smaller than otters or badgers.
And mink, though fierce, are prey themselves. A bunch that big would bring in coyotes, badgers, bobcats, feral dogs, and all kinds of critters to go after them. Size is the thing. Big predators will readily hunt smaller predators when they exist in a large number like this.
This was a very stupid thing to do. But a lot of animal lovers don't think of all the consequences and suffering that follow releasing any wild animal raised in captivity. It would have been far more merciful to just kill them all in the barn.
I can understand the distaste for raising an animal for its pelt, but in truth, it is no different that raising an animal for its meat or its hide. Furs are unpopular now, but this release doesn't help increase that unpopularity.
And I seriously doubt the world will quit wearing leather shoes or eating chicken and other domestic meat. A critter gives up its life for all of those products. Humans even raise bugs and kill them for the products made from them.
Tell me how cage raised mink will suddenly adapt to living in the wild .
Take one of those cage raised minks and put a live chicken in with it and see what happens. They still have a prey instinct, believe me. Because of that instinct, I am thoroughly against turning a bunch of them loose as they'll kill off a lot of other wildlife. By the way, don't put one of your pet chickens in with them......the outcome is not good for the chicken.
Not true....There are descendants of ranch raised mink released years ago in my area...
Several credible studies have been published over the years showing that ranch-raised mink both survive and thrive in the wild.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David A Stone
Tell me how cage raised mink will suddenly adapt to living in the wild .
To be fair: it probably goes by which particular mink that went into the wild. Many will die but others still have their instincts and will go back to being "wild animals" and, multiply. Kinda like house cats: some will die but others will go feral.
Mink are carnivores and need prey to survive....I expect there would be a shortage of prey pretty much anywhere when 40,000 mink are released at once....Think about it.
Take one of those cage raised minks and put a live chicken in with it and see what happens. They still have a prey instinct, believe me. Because of that instinct, I am thoroughly against turning a bunch of them loose as they'll kill off a lot of other wildlife. By the way, don't put one of your pet chickens in with them......the outcome is not good for the chicken.
Perhaps put a different way D Stone might get the picture. How is it that domestic dogs and cats adapt to living wild? Horses? Cage raised rabbits? Many places have serious problems with pen raised pigs that went wild. And here is 40000chances for adaptation to wild living. The way minks breed, not near that many even have to survive initially. The area will be hip deep in them in no time. So there you have it. Sound like a disaster for the local ecosystem?
Perhaps put a different way D Stone might get the picture. How is it that domestic dogs and cats adapt to living wild? Horses? Cage raised rabbits? Many places have serious problems with pen raised pigs that went wild. And here is 40000chances for adaptation to wild living. The way minks breed, not near that many even have to survive initially. The area will be hip deep in them in no time. So there you have it. Sound like a disaster for the local ecosystem?
The only thing that would limit them is the availability of prey.
Oh, they have plenty of prey instinct, all right. But the problem for the mink is there would not be enough prey to keep them alive. They could turn to cannibalism very quickly.
They wouldn't have many hunting skills, and mink have a very fast metabolism, so many would starve before they learned how to hunt efficiently.
But if there were any farms with small domestic livestock in the area, the mink would go to slaughtering chickens, lambs, pullets, piglets, kittens, puppies, or anything they thought they could kill, along with rats, mice, wild bird's eggs, bats, and whatever life that exists on farms.
They can't kill a human very well, but they can sure mangle someone's arms, hands, legs, or face. Mink are larger than weasels, smaller than otters or badgers.
And mink, though fierce, are prey themselves. A bunch that big would bring in coyotes, badgers, bobcats, feral dogs, and all kinds of critters to go after them. Size is the thing. Big predators will readily hunt smaller predators when they exist in a large number like this.
This was a very stupid thing to do. But a lot of animal lovers don't think of all the consequences and suffering that follow releasing any wild animal raised in captivity. It would have been far more merciful to just kill them all in the barn.
I can understand the distaste for raising an animal for its pelt, but in truth, it is no different that raising an animal for its meat or its hide. Furs are unpopular now, but this release doesn't help increase that unpopularity.
And I seriously doubt the world will quit wearing leather shoes or eating chicken and other domestic meat. A critter gives up its life for all of those products. Humans even raise bugs and kill them for the products made from them.
Don't forget fish. Mink are very good at catching fish too.
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