{mosimage}ANIMAL activists
have broken into
three mink farms
near A Coruña in
Galicia in northern
Spain and set free
more than 15,000 of
the creatures.
Five thousand
American mink
(Mustela vison) were
released in Muros
while almost 11,000
were set loose from a
farm in the town of
Oza dos Rios.
Activists also released 500
from a farm in A Baña.
A police spokeswoman said
the operation was well-organized.
The intruders propped
wooden boards against the
walls to help the mink scale
them. Fish
were also used as
bait to guide the animals in
the right direction.
“This was no prank. It was a
well-though out operation,”
she also said.
Residents of Oza dos Rios told
news agency Efe thousands of
mink had invaded the streets
of the town and had even
entered houses.
The owner of the farm in the
town, Charo Carrillo, said:
“Twenty years of work has
been destroyed by these terrorists.”
The regional government of
Galicia announced a wide
scale recapturing of the animals
has begun.
Police believe the Animal
Liberation Front (ALF)
released the animals although
no group has claimed responsibility.
Members of the ALF set free
35,000 mink from a farm in
Santiago de Compestela in
June this year.
