Over 40,000 minks were released after a farm in Hoaglin Township, Van Wert County, Ohio was vandalised on Tuesday morning, the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed.

In a post on Facebook, deputies with the Sheriff’s Office said that a suspect broke into Lion Farms USA and destroyed the fencing. The farm had minks in cages and around 25,000 to 40,000 of them were released. 

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Fox 8 reports that the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio’s natural resources and transportation departments and the Emergency Management Agency are investigating the incident with assistance from the Ohio State Patrol. 

Anyone with information about the vandalism has been asked to call the Van Wert sheriff’s office or Van Wert County Crime Stoppers and help with the investigation. They said that callers will have the option to remain anonymous.

“They regularly hunt prey bigger than themselves. As a result, they can be a bothersome pest for homeowners, livestock owners, and property managers,” the post on Facebook said. 

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“Minks have proven to be especially costly and problematic for poultry ranchers as well as homeowners with ornamental ponds filled with koi and other fish,” it continued. 

The Cleveland Metroparks are home to nocturnal American minks, which can typically be seen swimming in ponds and lakes or along streams and rivers in the surrounding woodlands. They typically eat small animals, crayfish, and fish.

“The mink is prized by the trapper both for its pelt and for the great skill required to capture it,” Ohio Department of Natural Resources says on its website. “To the wildlife enthusiast, the sight of this elusive furbearer is a thrilling surprise that must be experienced quickly, before the dynamic creature can scurry away to a place of concealment”