Farm Says At Least 15,000 Released Mink Have Died

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EDEN VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO/AP) -- Two organizations are offering a total of $11,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever released approximately 38,000 mink from a central Minnesota farm.

Fur Commission USA is offering $10,000 and Tri-County Crime Stoppers is offer $1,000 for information about how more than $750,000 worth of mink were released from Lang Farms near Eden Valley earlier this week.

Fur Commission USA Executive Director Michael Whelan says thousands of the mink have died from heat, stress and dehydration. Most of the animals that died were young and hadn't yet been weaned from their mothers.

As of Friday, Lang Farms said that 15,000 mink were known to be dead, and 11,000 have been recovered still alive. That leaves still about 14,000 unaccounted for.

Whelan says the incident is being investigated by the Stearns County Sheriff's office and the FBI.