They dream only of one thing, freedom. They should have enjoyed a hectic life alone, protecting their territory, teaching the little ones to hunt and fish, dig burrows, smell the fresh humus, hide in the weeds of the wetlands ... But these mink from America are born in a cage and will only know the time of their short life, the wire cages, self-mutilation by force of stress and deprivation, then a long death by asphyxiation. For their fur...
No respect for the needs of mink
Of these images, filmed by people who had access to the farms, we discovered and dismayed, the cages all lined up and in very poor condition or even completely dilapidated. The minks frantically seeking a way out of their psychological misery, stress and boredom, by surveying in the few cubic decimetres of living space that are conceded to them. They are caught in a vice between the putrefied remains of food, deposited directly onto the cages, and their droppings, piled up on the ground beneath them, inevitably polluting the groundwater that runs off it, and saturating the air with a pestilential odour.
These animals, naturally solitary and territorial, are subjected to extreme stress. Lack of space, even promiscuity, is unbearable for them. How to escape a conflict in these conditions? How to isolate yourself a little? The fence abruptly shears their semi-webbed legs, over-solicited. Deprived of all access to water, an element essential to their well-being, they are hurt, they are afraid, they are bored, they want to go out, they go crazy ...
Suffering right up to the end
While a free mink lives for about ten years, they are barely eight months old when they are harshly picked out by the breeder. On our images, we see them being thrown brutally on top of each other in a container. In one of the filmed farms, a dog watches, and pounces on those who desperately try to flee.
Death by asphyxiation has relative "success" and speed. Piled on top of each other, some survive a first session. But this choice of industry is not made to limit their suffering. We must above all preserve their precious coat from any blood stains!
A disaster for the environment
The fur industry has major environmental consequences, including its use of heavy metals, its water consumption and its effluent production. In many of the mink farms filmed, the excrement evacuation system was substandard or non-existent. The images also show corpses decomposing on the ground, which means a significant polluting effect to the environment, and therefore major health risks for the entire ecosystem ... including human.
As for the mink that manages to escape, their freedom is at the price of their future European cousins.
One Voice calls for the ban on mink farming in France. Let us write together to the Prime Minister to enhance the power of the voices of mink and all the other animals raised and killed for their fur. We must put an end to this industry of suffering and death. Let's respect the mink!
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