Images from a new investigation carried out in fur farms in Lithuania show a mink trapped and being eaten alive by his brothers and sisters.
The animal advocacy association One Voice unveiled this week the atrocious images filmed during a recent investigation in Lithuania. Among other horrors, the investigator witnessed the fate of a young mink, unable to escape from his cage, while members of his family devoured him alive. Torn apart, his internal organs hanging out of his body, he screams in pain and desperately tries to flee.
Wild animals, such as mink, are inherently unsuited to living in cages. Those who are detained in fur farms are denied their basic needs such as playing, swimming, nesting and hunting. Many of them go crazy from being forced into a life locked in a small cage, and they develop aggressive behaviour. And those who are attacked do not have the opportunity to escape as would be the case in the wild. This in particularly is what can lead to serious injuries, as seen in the minks that have been filmed.
During the same investigation, other minks were filmed covered with blood after being attacked by other minks in the cages. Their bones were exposed and they lacked limbs. Blood flowed on the mounds of manure under the cages. A baby mink, barely a few days old, was shaking and clearly showing signs of distress.
The investigator who carried out the investigation on these Lithuanian farms described the scenes he filmed as the most shocking he had ever seen.
Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice, comments: "These images seem straight out of a horror movie, but they are the reality! These minks have gone crazy due to their captivity. This video is unbearable. How can such practices continue? It is time to put an end to this industry. France, is the capital of luxury and fashion, must take responsibility and ban production like the import of fur."
One Voice and its partners in Lithuania alerted the relevant veterinary authorities on the basis of these acts of cruelty and injuries documented by the investigation. They should now work with the prosecutor's office to ensure that those responsible are properly sanctioned.
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