Mink farms confine millions of semi-aquatic carnivores in small wire cages, causing severe welfare harm and creating pandemic disease risks.
Mink are among the most welfare-impaired farmed animals relative to their natural behavioral repertoire. As semi-aquatic predators with large territories, mink in wire cages develop stereotypic behaviors including repetitive pacing, circling, and self-mutilation at high rates. The combination of inability to swim, hunt, or explore meaningful space, combined with chronic frustration of these strongly motivated behaviors, creates severe psychological suffering.