M A D R I D, Spain, Aug. 2 -- Villagers and police armed withnets and gloves hunted for thousands of missing mink onWednesday after the animals escaped from a fur farm in centralSpain, officials said.
The mink fled after unknown attackers knocked down more than 80 yards of fence and opened cages in the early hours of Tuesday,a civil guard spokesman said.
"About two thirds of the animals on the farm escaped, 13,000or so," he said. "This was not just an act of vandalism. Aninvestigation is open."
Worries of Damage to Ecosystem
The farm is in the town of La Puebla de Valverde, population500, in the province of Teruel some 200 miles east ofMadrid. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, althoughSpain has several active animal rights groups.
The mink have to be recaptured as soon as possible beforethey cause damage to the local ecosystem, officials said.
They are an American variety, not native to Spain, and wouldattack partridges and rabbits and compete for food with otherpredators such as ferrets.
"We have recovered a good number but it's getting moredifficult as they go into hiding," said Alejandro Cercos, the mayor of La Puebla.
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