A.L.F.-Raided Fur Farm Confirmed Closed by Anonymous Tipster

From Voice of the Voiceless

An anonymous tipster reports the Animal Liberation Front-raided Ide Fur Farm is now closed.

Good news for Christmas: an anonymous Christmas tree shopper finds no animals and empty sheds at the Ide Christmas tree / mink farm in Illinois.

Earlier this month, Voice of the Voiceless reported on how to visit a fur farm legally (see: "How To Visit a Fur Farm – Without Being the A.L.F."). The article covered several mink farms that also operate cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, offering visitors the opportunity to explore the property and (possibly) get a close look at a mink farm - without being the Animal Liberation Front.

One anonymous Christmas tree shopper read the Voice of the Voiceless article, visited the Ide Christmas Tree Farm (also the site of the Ide Fur Farm), and submitted an anonymous report.

Their findings: The Ide Fur Farm is closed.

To quote the report I received:

"I saw no caged animals on the property. It's a small tree farm... I walked the fencing perimeter easily."

The report describes the former mink farm's layout:

"There were three main areas with buildings in the middle of the christmas trees. One was their house with the kid's turtle thing in the back yard. That leads to a gate behind that, where the abandoned mink shed is. "

Numerous photos of the farm were submitted with the report (posted below), showing one gutted shed and many empty cages.

The Animal Liberation Front raided the Ide Fur Farm during Labor Day weekend in 1997, releasing 4,000 mink. Because the anonymous report is the first news of the farm's closure, it is not known how long the farm has been closed, or what role the A.L.F. raid may have played in the farm's demise.

View the photos of the empty sheds below, and this Christmas celebrate the closure of one more mink farm.

- Peter Young