FRANKLIN — Intruders released about 1,500 mink from a fourth-generation family farm in Franklin near the Idaho-Utah border early Saturday morning, according to Fur Commission USA, the national trade association for mink farmers.
The security system at the Hobbs family’s farm on Parkinson Road detected the intruders around 2:36 a.m. and deterred further activity, the association said in a news release Sunday.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and is warning residents to be on the lookout for the mink. The Sheriff’s Office said any mink sightings should be immediately reported to the Hobbs family at 208-339-1036, not just so the animals can be returned to the Hobbs farm but also because mink are meat eaters and can be aggressive.
The Sheriff’s Office said until all the mink are rounded up, local residents with small pets such as cats, rabbits and small dogs, as well as farmers with small animals such as ducks and chickens, should take precautions to ensure their animals are not attacked by the mink on the loose. Mink have also been known to attack people in rare instances.
Several of the released mink were struck and killed by vehicles on nearby roads following the break-in, according to Fur Commission USA. Others died from dehydration, heat exhaustion and exposure, according to the Hobbs family. The family worked Saturday and Sunday caring for the distressed animals, including giving water by hand to mink struggling to recover, Fur Commission USA said.
About 100 local people, including Franklin city officials, neighbors and family members, turned out to help recover the animals on Saturday morning, according to Fur Commission USA.
Franklin County sheriff’s deputies responded and set up roadblocks to keep more mink from being hit by vehicles.
Over 90% of the released mink were recovered as of Sunday evening, the Hobbs family said.
“These animals depend on us for food, water and care,” said Jeff Hobbs, the owner of the Hobbs mink farm. “What kind of person turns more than a thousand animals loose knowing they could be run over, starve or die from dehydration? There is nothing humane about that.”
The farmer’s wife, Jill Hobbs, said the community rallied around them.
“Our family has been farming for four generations, and it is heartbreaking to see animals suffer and die because of these actions,” she said. “But in the middle of such a difficult day, our community showed up for us.”
The Sheriff’s Office praised the Hobbs family for their quick action to alert authorities about the break-in and then round up the mink. The family was very proactive in response to the incident, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office said that those responsible for setting the mink free might believe their actions were in the animals’ best interest, but the break-in at the farm has not only led to several of the mink dying, but it has put the others in danger of starvation, not to mention the danger now facing local pets and farm animals.
Fur Commission USA Executive Director Challis Hobbs, Jeff’s son, called those responsible for the incident “terrorists, plain and simple.” Fur Commission USA noted that the federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act treats qualifying attacks meant to damage or interfere with animal enterprises as federal terrorism offenses.
An animal-rights press office that publicizes anonymous actions by activists posted an announcement Sunday saying 1,500 mink had been “liberated” from the Hobbs farm. No arrests had been made as of Sunday evening.
If you have any information about the incident, please contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 208-852-1234.