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ICABS responds to Cllr's call for mink elimination
17 October 2007 A County Kerry Councillor has been criticised by ICABS after he called for the urgent elimination of the mink species. Cllr Michael Gleeson said that "it is imperative that an onslaught is commenced on the most unwelcome mink." For more details, please see below for article from The Kingdom newspaper.
Mink remarks incur wrath of animal lovers
A Kerry politician has come under heavy fire from animal rights activists for his stance on the elimination of mink. Cllr Michael Gleeson had branded mink as a vicious and unwelcome species that kills in “a wholly wanton manner" and he complained of the destructive nature of the predator creature which he described as a major agricultural menace. But the Irish Council Against Blood Sports has lashed out at the stance of Cllr Gleeson who is a member of both Kerry County Council and Killarney Town Council. Spokesman Philip Kiernan said if the Kerry councillor is so concerned then he should take on Ireland’s fur farms where mink are gassed to death before having the fur “tugged from their bones”. “Cllr Gleeson appears to have a problem with mink because they are predators which are compelled to eat to survive. He particularly criticises them for killing more than they need,” Mr Kieran observed. “This anthropomorphic view is unfair to a creature acting purely on instinct and not out of any kind of malice. Many species, including humans, are guilty of overeating and stockpiling food for future use. This doesn't deem them deserving of a death sentence,” said Mr Kiernan. The Irish Council Against Blood Sports official added: “wild predators who engage in surplus killing are not greedy gluttons but merely adhering to the laws of nature. Ecologists believe that if a mink happens to find itself presented with an abundance of birds, it will take more than it needs in an effort to reduce the population to a more natural balance.” Furthermore, Mr Kiernan maintained that Cllr Gleeson's portrayal of mink as major agricultural menaces is not based on fact. “Few farmers keep poultry nowadays and the impenetrable factory farms of battery birds are unlikely to be bothered by a mink looking for an easy meal,” he said. Urging Cllr Gleeson to turn his attention to fur farms, the animal rights activist remarked: “It is these depraved hellholes that are responsible for mink coming to be part of our ecosystems.”
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