Another Mink

[JHFoto]

[NannyFerret]

What a lovely capture.

[David61]

Very nice capture, good bit of detail too which is nice to see.

[kev7d]

Good catch JH.  

[JamesT]

Unfortunately mink are a serious problem as they are an invasive species (the UK population originated from animals "liberated" from fur farms). They are as I recall particularly detrimental to water vole populations. One piece of good news though -- it seems that where otter populations are recovering the mink are being driven out.

[kev7d]

Good point James.  Quite an active predator.  

[VWGolf]

Great picture, with good detail 

I feel somewhat ambivalent about mink.  I wish ill on everyone who has anything to do with fur farms and their products, so I can sympathise with the 'rescue' of these creatures from a cruel life and horrible death (some are skinned alive) all for the sake of vanity and profit.
But it is sad for them and their prey that they have become a pest in this country through no fault of their own.  If only mankind would stop interfering and profiteering, the world would be a far better place, IMHO.

 

[JHFoto]

In the area where I live the story goes that a local Mink farm let loose their population when Mink no longer was a viable proposition and they have bred in the wild. In the Cannock Chase area, they are quite common.

[NannyFerret]

My friend who ran the ferret rescue in Coventry was granted a licence to keep any rescued mink that were brought to her by the Rspca or members of the public as they couldn't be released back into the wild.

I had the pleasure of handling the mink, who adapted well to living in the rescue.

They had to have very large double metal outdoor pens and a large bath to swim in.

They are truly beautiful animals and it's sad that they were just released from the fur farms without a thought for their well-being.

One was brought into the rescue with a badly broken jaw. Luckily he had it wired and he lived happily at the rescue until it was time for him to cross the Bridge.

[Brian]

Lovely photo and when viewed large gets even better. The detail in the face is excellent.

Unfortunate that a beautiful animal like this should be such a threat to the indigenous animal population. All because of human interference (greed).