VAN WERT, Ohio (WJW) — Tens of thousands of minks were loosed from a Hoaglin Township farm when it was vandalized early Tuesday, according to the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office.

A suspect broke into Lion Farms USA Mink Farm and destroyed fencing, deputies said on Facebook. About 25,000 to 40,000 minks were released from their cages.

The incident is still under investigation, with assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio’s natural resources and transportation departments and the Emergency Management Agency.

Anyone with information about the break-in is urged to call the Van Wert sheriff’s office at 419-238-3866 or Van Wert County Crime Stoppers at 419-238-STOP (419-238-7867). Callers can remain anonymous.

Minks are carnivorous mammals that eat freshly killed prey, according to the sheriff’s office.

“They regularly hunt prey bigger than themselves. As a result, they can be a bothersome pest for homeowners, livestock owners, and property managers,” reads the sheriff’s office Facebook post. “Minks have proven to be especially costly and problematic for poultry ranchers as well as homeowners with ornamental ponds filled with koi and other fish.”

For assistance with trapping nuisance critters, call the county’s licensed trappers David Burger at 419-203-6368 or Cody Feasby of Feasby Home and Farm Service LLC at 419-203-6238. Here’s the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ list of licensed trappers in other Ohio counties.

The American minks that live in the Cleveland Metroparks are nocturnal creatures, and can usually be found along woodland streams and rivers, or swimming in ponds and lakes, according to the park system. They typically eat fish, crayfish and small mammals.