Be the change you want to see in the world
Emmy, The Real "Rebel Mink"
This is Emmy! She is an adult female fur farm escapees, and her color is called "palomino". Emmy was transferred to MMR in 2023 by Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation (SCWR) in Price Utah. You can find a video of her current enclosure in the comments!
Emmy was spotted in an online sales ad in January 2023 being sold as a "ferret". Farm mink specializing rescues, including Rocky Mountain Mink Refuge , MMR, and SCWR, jumped straight into action to save this little mink from being illegally sold into who knows what kind of situation. The listing stated that my had been live trapped for chasing domestic ducks, and the photograph accompanying the ad showed a muddy dejected mink in a live trap.
My role in this rescue was chatting with the person in possession who was trying to illegally sell Emmy, and expressing extreme interest in buying her asap so that the individual would not sell her, release her, or kill her (you buy time only, I was not actually going to give this man money). Well-intentioned advocates were harassing him at that point as more people became aware of the sales ad, which actually put her life in danger- he could have killed her due to the harassment, an act which would not have been against the law. Sometimes it's important to take a step back and let rescues work- good intentions can sometimes lead to sticky situations. I worked frantically to appeal to the man's empathy, sending him a lot of photos of beloved and spoiled Nico.
Meanwhile, state and federally licensed SCWR set up a meeting with local animal control and informed them of the situation & provided them with information on appropriate protocols for stray domestic mink. Animal control agreed to seize Emmy from the man, did so successfully without her coming to harm, and they immediately transferred her to the expert hands of SCWR. Emmy was medically evaluated and cleared, and the rest is history!
But her story doesn't stop there of course.
Emmy has truly lived up to her name, Ember Foxfire Rebel Mink! She has continuously given me grey hairs and has probably taken years off my life with her antics 🤣 from managing to find and eat weird mushrooms to escaping her enclosure, to learning to use speech buttons, she is unique beyond measure.
The MMR mink may live here with me, but their stories and their journeys belong to all of you. I hope you will all enjoy following along with us, and I hope you'll spread the word about these funny little animals & let others know that fur farming is still legally practiced in the US. I can't count how many people I've spoken to that thought fur farming was banned in the US back in the 80's or 90's... Nope: it's still going. Maybe if enough people become aware, together we can create the pressure needed to end it for good.
Thank you for reading Emmy's story!
Lysander, The "Professor"
Lysander is a neutered male mink, and we believe his color is called violet. It can be a bit difficult to tell with some of these lighter shades! He hails from Rocky Mountain Mink Refuge, and joined us here at Mustelid Madness in the beginning of 2023. RMMR picked Lysander up as a stray mink farm escapee in found in someone's back yard.
Lysander's earlier days before arriving at RMMR are a mystery, but he definitely went through something! He is entirely missing his left ear, and he has an eye condition called "nystagmus". These things don't hold him back or hurt him, but the do provide clues to a bit of his past.
We believe Lysander's ear was chewed off/over groomed off by his mother or sibling while on the fur farm. This is not uncommon - mink are often mutilated by cage mates due to the stress if extreme confinement, which is why you'll see missing ears and stumpy tails on some of the mink.
His nystagmus, which is a constant wobble of the eyes, could be caused by a few different things. Our vet thinks it's possible that it could be related to his missing ear, and the resulting inability to close off that ear canal when he swims. It could also be congenital. We will probably never know exactly what causes it, but the most important thing to us is knowing that it doesn't cause him harm or stress. It's doesn't seem to impact his eyesight at all, as he still runs, jumps, climbs, and of course funds his bunnies.
Oh! His bunnies! A lot of mink tend to fixate on an item that is particularly special to them. They collect the item and protect it as "their preccccciousssssss" 🤣 Lysander is obsessed with this specific bunny... A bit of a bummer, because it's next to impossible to find copies of it. Lysander only still has bunnies today because one of our amazing followers, Rob, just happened to have a few and sent them along with some goodies! Lysander will unfortunately have to find a new fixation once these are worn to bits.
Although Lysander acts aggressively towards Smaug, he is otherwise our most polite and gentle mink. He does not try to bite, gently takes food from your hand, loads right up into the cage or carrier whenever asked, and he loves to play. He is the goodest boy 💗
Smaug, The "Dragon Boss"
Smaug is a male intact mink, and his color is black or possibly mahogany (he has a dark dark dark brown tint in the sun). He came to us from Rocky Mountain Mink Refuge in Fall 2022.
Smaug was found as a young kit by a good Samaritan, hovering close to his poor mother - who had already passed away 💔 This is often the fate of escaped fur farm mink; they lack the instincts needed to survive and hunt for their own food, after being raised and cared for in captivity.
Utah is one of the largest mink producing states in the US, and every year a handful of mink manage to break away and escape. They twist away or bolt during harvest or breeding, they break out of a damaged cage, they find some way to get loose of their own volition. And they often die after escape. This is why rescues like Rocky Mountain Mink Refuge are needed.
Smaug was lucky. He found his way into the expert care of Rocky Mountain Mink Refuge in June of 2022, just a little baby, and his fate immediately changed for the better! They took excellent care of him, and he was able to experience the rest of his kithood in a safe and loving environment. In September of 2022, Smaug was permanently transferred to Mustelid Madness Rescue.
Smaug is an adorable but fierce little black mink! He loves to eat frozen thawed prey in his favorite hammock, and he delights in collecting anything plastic - he makes a mighty hoard of his "treasures", just like a dragon. As our longest current resident, he has taken on the title of "Boss", a tradition started by the one and only Nicolas the Mink. Smaug is The Boss of the whole place.
Smaug delights in sitting on my feet to prevent me from walking. He also is constantly watching for an opening to climb me, which is not exactly something I welcome 😅 given his sharp claws & past interest in play biting my skin.
A final note on escaped mink: occasionally they do survive, but this is not actually a good thing for the environment. Fur farm mink have been continuously bred in captivity for about 150 years. Not only are we seeing early signs of true genetic domestication in these mink, we are also seeing a slew of terrible genetic health issues. They are bred to be killed before they reach one year of age, and for exotic coat colors, desirable patterns, and large size; they are not bred for long term heath. The genetics of these mink are truly terrible for our wild American mink.
This is why we do not under any circumstances support ALF style mass mink releases. This is why RMMR strives to pick up domestic mink even if they appear to be doing ok in the wild. In addition, farm mink can sometimes carry latent parvoviruses that may not become active unlit a major new stressor is introduced - such as being let loose or escaping and not knowing how to survive. These parvoviruses such as ADV can spread to other native species of wildlife and have devastating consequences in the local ecosystem for years to come. Mass mink releases can become a major ecological disaster - please don't condone this behavior.
Nico, the Original "Boss"
🌈 Intro: Nicolas the Mink (Nico) Arrived at MMR November 16, 2018; crossed the bridge December 17, 2022
Nico was found wandering in Utah- it is believed that he escaped one of the fur farms in the area where he was found. A kind citizen brought Nico to state and federally licenced Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation (the same rehab later saved Emmy!). This facility was very familiar with fur farm mink. While the absolute #1 goal of wildlife rehab is to rescue, treat, and return injured & orphaned wildlife back to the wild where they belong once healthy, the facility knew immediately that Nico was not a wild mink, and that he would need to be placed in captivity for a chance at life.
Nico was transferred to me several years before I started Mustelid Madness Rescue, and he helped shape that path. He was magical... He was like no other creature. Gentle, intelligent, comedic, vibrantly alive. Nico taught me so much, he was one in a trillion.
Nico had chronic dental issues that resulted in most of his teeth being extracted. In his old age he developed spinal stenosis and was being treated (successfully) for mobility issues at the end with Adequan injections. He played at the park and joined me on mountain tops. He patrolled the yard, let the ferrets groom his ears, delighted every person he met. He was like no other mink.
N̳i̳c̳o̳'̳s̳ ̳B̳r̳i̳d̳g̳e̳ ̳P̳o̳e̳m̳
𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑏𝑜𝑤 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒?
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑒𝑒
𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒?
𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝐵𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟
𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ
𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑤
𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑁𝑖𝑐𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
𝑆𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑟
𝑁𝑖𝑐𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑤𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑠
𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑁𝑖𝑐𝑜'𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑘𝑒
𝐼𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑, 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠
𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
𝑆𝑤𝑖𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠
𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑁𝑖𝑐𝑜
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑
𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒
𝑂𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢
𝐵𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡
Frostfang, The Friend To Walruses
🌈 Another rainbow bridge intro: Frostfang was a female fur farm-line mink of unknown age (she was on the the older side), and her color was "blue cross". She arrived to us from Arkansas with almost no teeth, with her sister River (River will get her own post). She was with us such a short time, but she was absolutely unforgettable: Dec. 6 2021 - Dec. 29 2022 (the first photo included was one of the first images I saw of her, sent from Arkansas).
Frosty was likely born on a fur farm, but at some point in her life she was brokered into the exotic pet trade, probably as a tiny kit. She was eventually sold over the internet like a rehomed pet, and a young woman saved her and her sister & got in contact with us out here in Wyoming. Both girls had damaged mouths at the time that the young woman saved them. We worked with a local vet in Arkansas to short term board them, do a dental extraction on Frosty, and fill out their import paperwork. The awesome Dave Pauli transported the girls from Arkansas to WY on his way back from his yearly turtle transport trip 🐾🐢
Frosty's full background remains a mystery, but ALL domestic mink have roots in the world of fur farming. All.
At the beginning, Frosty would flinch away from me if my hand barely brushed past the tips of her fur. She was bold, but couldn't stand to be touched. With love and a stable environment, Frosty thrived. Eventually, not only could I touch her- she would stand perfectly still for me to harness her, she would even allow me to give her medication injections.
Frosty found a little plush walrus named Paul mixed in with her other toys- one of Nico's rejected toys. It was obsession at first sight- Frosty LOVED that walrus! Paul was a vintage TY Beanie Baby, which are surprisingly easy to find! Frosty was eventually given a whole collection of "Pauls" because she loved him so much, and she dragged them around everywhere. She would stash them, snuggle them, and even swim with them.
Frosty's unique personality, her likes and dislikes, her playfulness, her trust... All of these traits are there within every single fur farm mink that is raised and killed for the rich, so that they have that special outfit accessory to bring out of deep storage for a one night event or gala. Frosty's brethren are not killed and skinned to clothe cold children in the deep north. They are instead wrapped around the rock stars, the wives of business moguls, the professional athletes and in general the mega wealthy. 50-60 mink for a $6000 coat. 50-60 tortured creatures who were curious, playful, intelligent souls, brokered in death to the wealthy for the cost of 3-6 months rent for a human family. Not killed for food. Not killed to clothe those who need warmth. Killed simply for a reprehensible level of vanity.
They deserve so much better.
Frosty, having no teeth, taught me a lot about mink play biting behavior in a way that any other mink could not. You have to be careful about mink bites, because they can crush the bones in you hand. I could let Frosty play bite me without risk, and she taught me how much a mink reliés on using their mouth for communicating. She would wrestle with my hand, try to stash it... A few times, she bit me with intent because I had offended her, I could tell the difference immediately and responded by respecting her space.
Being able to allow her to use her bite communication (without fear of losing a finger) resulted in a very rapid deep bond of trust between us. She helped me to look at biting behavior very differently. Like every mink I gave worked with, she was my teacher.
River, The Goofball
✨Adopted Intro✨
River is the little minky who was sold alongside Frostfang to a young lady in Arkansas. In 2022, River was adopted by none other than Rocky Mountain Mink Refuge as an ambassador/permanent resident mink! You can still follow along with River on the RMMR page 💗
One thing I forgot to mention in Frosty's story is that these girls were sold as"ferrets". This is done because it is illegal to sell a domestic mink for purposes outside of agriculture without a USDA license.
This is incredibly dangerous, because if someone truly believed they were ferrets & introduced them to their existing business of ferrets, there is a good change that the mink would immediately severely injure or kill one or multiple ferrets. These two species typically do not intermix well, and mink are incredibly powerful for their size.
Upon realizing that they were in fact mink, not ferrets, this kind young lady reached out to MMR and worked with us to transfer these lovely little mink into our care! A local AR wildlife rehabilitator referred us to a great vet in the area, who was able to examine the mink, microchip them, and get them ready for travel. An amazing Billings MT rescue, Humane Animal Controls (Dave Pauli), drove the mink all the way from Arkansas to WY.
River is a tiny female mink, no larger than the average ferret. Her coloration known as "black cat" in some parts of the world (which is what we labeled her) but I believe she's also considered "black cross". Doesn't her pattern look a lot like a little tuxedo kitty?
River arrived with some fairly damaged teeth, and our mink dentist Dr. Gauge did quite a few extractions after Riv developed an abscessed tooth. Unfortunately, she had a second abscess after being transferred to RMMR, and needed yet more dental work. Domestic mink are incredibly prone to dental issues unfortunately - it can be genetic, dietary, or just terrible luck due to their incredible jaw strength.
At the time River was transferred to RMMR, we had a bit of a swap- That is the same day that Smaug was transferred to us from RMMR! While they were looking for a sweet silly ambassador mink to become a permanent resident, I was hoping to provide a placement for a young spicy mink 🐉 the timing worked out perfectly to place each mink in great fitting homes!
Note: MMR originally intended to intake and adopt out mink at a steady rate as needed. However, we switched gears a bit to provide a permanent home to a small number of mink instead. The permitting process in WY makes it a bit of a to-do to intake and transfer out mink constantly (not a bad thing- if only the same process was required for predator species we'd be in a better place as far as state wildlife regulations!)