Between 25K to 40K minks loose in Ohio after someone destroyed fencing at farm

Multiple agencies investigating incident

FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2012, file photo, minks look out of a cage at a fur farm in the village of Litusovo, northeast of Minsk, Belarus. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File) (Sergei Grits, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

VAN WERT COUNTY, Ohio – Thousands of minks escaped from their cages at a mink farm in Van Wert County, Ohio.

Between 25,000 and 40,000 minks are estimated to be on the loose after a break-in at Lion Farms USA Mink Farm in Hoaglin Township early Tuesday (Nov. 15), according to the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office.

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The sheriff’s office said the suspect, or suspects, destroyed fencing and opened cages, according to a report. Minks are carnivorous mammals that eat freshly killed prey, according to the sheriff’s office.

Several agencies are involved in the investigation including the Ohio State Patrol, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, ODNR, EMA, and ODOT.

Anyone with information about the breaking & entering is asked to contact the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office at 419-238-3866 or Van Wert County Crime Stoppers at 419-238-STOP (7867).


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Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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