Around 1,500 mink flee Oregon fur farm after fence cut, group claims responsibility

During the early hours of Wednesday, a breach was made in the fence of Cascade Farm in Turner, Oregon, releasing an estimated 1,500 mink while the farm’s manager, his wife, children and employees were asleep. The intrusion was attributed to the Animal Liberation Front, a decentralized activist group labeled extremist by the FBI, which indicated the method matched its past actions but has not sent an official claim. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported that roughly nine-tenths of the escaped mink have been retrieved, though any not found within the next two days risk starvation.

Challis Hobbs of Fur Commission USA described the event as a criminal act against a legally operated, certified farm, emphasizing the danger to families living on the property. The group argues the released animals avoided a “100 percent death rate” in captivity, echoing a similar 2023 incident at a Wisconsin fur farm. Law enforcement has not confirmed whether a specific investigation into the ALF’s involvement is underway.