Two individuals from Massachusetts face charges after allegedly releasing around 200 minks from the Richard H. Stahl Sons Inc. fur farm in central Pennsylvania.
According to reports, state police in Northumberland County say troopers were called shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday after a report that two people had been caught on camera releasing the minks at the the farm in Rockefeller Township outside of Sunbury.
The minks were freed in the early hours of the morning, but security cameras installed after a similar incident last year enabled police to respond quickly.
Fortunately for the farm, most of the mink were recovered this time, unlike in the 2023 release, where thousands of animals escaped into the wild. A perimeter fence is said to have kept most of the mink on the property.
Fur Commission USA discussed on its social media the impacts on both the mink and the ecosystem when mink are released into the wild.
“When farms are attacked by these extremists in what amounts to violent publicity stunts, the animals, the farmer-owners, the community, and surrounding ecosystems suffer,” Fur Commission USA wrote. “Most mink are raised on family farms; having strangers break into their property in the middle of the night, masked and dressed in black, destroying property and harming the animals that farmers have worked so hard to raise and care for is devastating for the entire family.”
Christopher Legere and Cara Mitrano, both in their 20s and from Massachusetts, were arrested nearby and charged with various crimes, including agricultural vandalism, trespassing, and animal cruelty. They are currently being held on $150,000 cash bail each.
The commission called the arrests “a major win for farmers targeted by extremist groups.”
Not surprisingly, the North American Animal Liberation group has also sprung into action, asking for financial support to cover the legal defense and jail commissary funds for the two.
They are likely hoping that the generous public will feel compelled to chip in for vegan snacks and legal aid. The group insists the pair are innocent, perhaps suggesting that the real culprits were sneaky enough to orchestrate the release while framing these “bystanders.”
