WOODBINE, Iowa — The Fur Commission USA says attackers allegedly entered a Woodbine farm and released 2,000 mink into the wild on Monday.

The incident allegedly happened between 9 p.m. October 20 and 8 a.m. October 21, when one or more individuals entered the rural Woodbine farm and cut fencing to animal housing, leading to the release of 2,000 mink into the wild, the Fur Commission USA shared in a release.

The Fur Commission USA says the farmer and their family have been able to recover around 60% of the released mink so far and say live traps are still being placed. According to their website, farm-raised mink typically lack survival skills and quickly die from starvation, exposure and predators.

Under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, any person who interferes with or damages an animal enterprise is considered a terrorist under federal law and faces criminal charges and severe penalties, the Fur Commission USA stated in their announcement.

“This was not activism — it was terrorism,” said Challis Hobbs, Executive Director of Fur Commission USA. “Breaking into a lawful business, destroying property, and releasing animals to suffer and die is a violent crime. These extremist attacks put families, animals, and rural communities in danger.”

The Fur Commission says the farm is suffering additional losses due to the released starving mink preying on other animals, which the farmer had been raising as part of a conservation program that supports wildlife repopulation efforts.

The last reported mink release took place in Ohio in July 2025, the Fur Commission USA reports around 2,000 were also released during an overnight incident.

According to the Fur Commission USA, local law enforcement and the FBI are investigating the attack.