Sanctuary Stories

The Great Escape of Olaf the Mink

Fur farms are slaughtering mink by the millions, but Olaf found a way out to the good life

Olaf at Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary. Photos provided and taken by Beth Randall, unless otherwise noted

When Beth Randall started feeling sick with Covid-19 symptoms in March, before testing was widely available, she knew right away she needed to stay out of the ferret and mink room at her sanctuary. As much of the world was just learning about the virus, the president and founder of Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary in Northern Illinois was already aware that ferrets and mink are uniquely susceptible, and started taking precautions.

Today, Randall is recovered and well, but also heartbroken to learn that mink can spread the virus back to humans in mutated forms, leading to the culling of millions of mink on fur farms in Europe and a thousand in Canada. It’s something she can’t help but keep top of mind as she now very carefully cares for her own animals, including Olaf, a special white mink who escaped a fur farm and a horrible fate.

Olaf upon rescue. Photo taken by rescuer Hanna Donnovan.

It was March of 2017 when Olaf made his desperate run for freedom, recalls Randall. The spring is “a pretty common time for mink to…