Footage shows mink being gassed on fur farm where animals are thrown into lethal container to die

Horrifying footage has shown the grim reality of mink farms in Lithuania, with the defenseless animals beaten and thrown into chambers where they are gassed.

Animal rights activists captured stark footage from inside the “killing box” where the mink can be seen writhing in pain and desperately trying to escape from the dark depths of the room.

But the minks can’t escape and the video shows them writhing in pain before cramping and dying on top of each other on a farm in Lithuania.

Further footage shows farm workers beating the minks before removing them from their tiny cages and throwing them into the deadly gas chambers.

Some of the desperate animals try to cling to their cages before being dumped into the box where they are gassed. Their corpses are then skinned with the furs sold to the fashion industry.

The images, captured over four years on eight farms in Lithuania, were published ahead of a vote in the Lithuanian parliament on whether to ban fur farming on June 6.

In the video, the researchers document the appalling conditions in which the minks are kept on the farms – confined in small wire cages where they move around due to stress

The poignant images were created by the animal protection group Tušti Narvai and shared exclusively with MailOnline by Humane Society International.

Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International, told MailOnline: “I’ve been to fur farms myself and seen the suffering firsthand, but to see so many hours of footage spanning several years showing that minks are systematically mistreated. for fur fashion, is terrible.’

“These incidents cannot be dismissed as a one-off. This level of cruelty is the daily reality for animals suffering on fur farms and the only way to stop it is to ban fur farms once and for all.

“I urge politicians in Lithuania to vote for a ban on fur farming as soon as possible.”

Investigators filmed eight fur farms in Lithuania in 2019, 2022 and 2023, with activists saying it showed that incidents of animal cruelty “are not isolated, but a recurring, routine part of the industry.”

The fur farms are located in the districts of Mažeikiai, Prienai, Panevėžys, Ukmergė, Kelmė, Šiauliai and Kaunas.

In the video, the researchers document the appalling conditions in which the minks are kept on the farms – confined in small wire mesh cages where they move around due to stress.

Farm workers are seen dragging some of the minks out of their small cages and throwing them into gas chambers.

Video shows the squeaky mink trying to escape from the dark gas chambers, but one by one they spasm and die on top of each other.

Further footage shows farm workers beating the minks before removing them from their tiny cages and throwing them into the deadly gas chambers

Farm workers throw the mink into the gas chamber of a farm in Lithuania

Their dead bodies can be seen on top of the wire cages they were confined in for months before being skinned so their pelts can be used in the fashion industry.

Gabrielė Vaitkevičiūtė, executive director of Tušti Narvai, said: “Such treatment of animals is unfathomable and unforgivable. Fur breeders call this process “putting animals to sleep.” Does it sound like putting someone to sleep? What most people can’t even look at because it’s so horrible is standard practice on fur farms.’

Vaitkevičiūtė said the footage of the mink gassing in the gas chamber came from 2019, but the activists had decided at the time it was too disturbing, but with the Lithuanian parliament set to vote next month on a new bill banning mink farming, they decided to to let go now.

“We decided not to release the footage of the gas chamber when we originally filmed it because we thought it was too disturbing for people to see,” said Vaitkevičiūtė. “But people and politicians need to see the real horror now.

“On all the videos, the murder season looks the same. Such activities should be banned altogether. It is never justified to torture animals for the sake of fashion.’

Lithuanian lawmakers will vote next month on a government proposal to ban fur farms from 2027 after a long campaign by animal rights groups.

There are about 44 mink farms in Lithuania with about 1 million animals.

Further footage shows farm workers beating the minks before removing them from their tiny cages and throwing them into the deadly gas chambers

Some of the desperate animals try to cling to their cages before being dumped into the box where they are gassed. Their corpses are then skinned with the furs sold to the fashion industry

In mink farming, most male animals are gassed and skinned after the breeding process that takes place in the spring.

Females generally give birth between April and May, and their young are taken away as soon as they are weaned – about six to eight weeks later.

The young are then allowed to grow for eight months until slaughter season, which generally takes place in November and December.

Most of the animals on the farms will generally be killed during this period, including mink mothers that farmers do not intend to keep for breeding the following year.

Fur farming has been banned in the United Kingdom since 2003 and is banned in 19 European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

In 2020, the government in Hungary announced a ban on keeping fur animals, including minks and foxes.