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🇮🇸 Iceland /Environment & Climate

Mink release in Iceland harms animal welfare cause, advocates say

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Hundreds of minks were released from farms in Mosfellsdal, Iceland, an act that animal welfare advocates condemn as harmful to both the animals and the local ecosystem.
  • The head of the Icelandic Animal Welfare Association expressed deep regret over the incident, stating that releasing farmed animals into the wild is not a path to animal welfare.
  • The association hopes the escaped minks can be humanely euthanized to prevent suffering and further ecological damage, emphasizing the need for professional handling of the situation.

An act of releasing hundreds of minks from farms in Mosfellsdal, Iceland, has drawn strong criticism from animal welfare organizations, who argue it severely damages the cause of animal welfare and poses a threat to the local environment. The Icelandic Animal Welfare Association stated that the perpetrators' actions are not guided by animal welfare principles.

We are of course completely sorry that someone would do this, releasing animals that have been in cages into the wild Icelandic nature where they have no business being.

— Anna Berg SamúelsdóttirThe Icelandic Animal Welfare Association chairwoman's reaction to the mink release.

Anna Berg Samúelsdóttir, chairwoman of the association, expressed dismay, saying, "We are of course completely sorry that someone would do this, releasing animals that have been in cages into the wild Icelandic nature where they have no business being." She emphasized the dual harm: "This concerns both the welfare of the animals and also the wild nature of Iceland and other animals in the area, so we are just not at all satisfied that someone could even think of doing something like this."

This concerns both the welfare of the animals and also the wild nature of Iceland and other animals in the area, so we are just not at all satisfied that someone could even think of doing something like this.

— Anna Berg SamúelsdóttirSamúelsdóttir detailing the negative impacts of the mink release.

The association is particularly concerned about the welfare of the minks themselves, as they are unaccustomed to the wild. Samúelsdóttir hopes that the escaped minks can be humanely euthanized quickly and safely, without causing them fear or pain. "We don't know how these animals would fare, so we have to trust that the professionals who have been called to this case handle this matter well and consider the welfare of these animals," she stated.

We don't know how these animals would fare, so we have to trust that the professionals who have been called to this case handle this matter well and consider the welfare of these animals.

— Anna Berg SamúelsdóttirSamúelsdóttir expressing hope for professional intervention to manage the escaped minks.

Samúelsdóttir reiterated that releasing animals from captivity into the wild is not a way to promote animal welfare. She described the actions as having "peculiar animal welfare perspectives" and highlighted the chaos and conflict that erupt among the animals when cages are opened. The association is urging authorities to identify and stop those responsible, stressing that such actions are detrimental to the broader animal welfare movement in Iceland.

This will have to be stopped, because this is harmful to the cause of animal welfare as a whole.

— Anna Berg SamúelsdóttirSamúelsdóttir's concluding remarks on the need to halt such actions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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