Thousands of minks are marauding through the Brandenburg countryside, killing chickens and woodland creatures after suspected animal activists released thousands from a fur farm.
Police said they are still searching for those responsible for the break-in at the farm in Frankenforde, which resulted in the release of 4,000 minks last Sunday evening.
About 2,000 of the weasel-like carnivores have been captured, but the other half have been snacking freely on local farm fowl, wild birds and other small animals, police reported.
Meanwhile the mink farm owner Alfons Grosser has filed charges for €180,000 in property damage and unlawful entry while saying there was no way to measure the impact to the region’s ecosystem.
According to Grosser, the rampaging pack of mink requires about one tonne of food in just three days.
German nature protection association (NABU) said the release of so many mink is an environmental catastrophe.–(news@thelocal.de)