Mink?

[mrs fish]

I think I have just seen a mink on the canal, very close by to where I saw the water voles

It was quite black, can mink be black?
Or has anyone seen a black stoat or weasel?

Should I inform the local wildlife trust do you think?

[Thy]

Sounds like a mink alright. They are usually very dark in colour.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by mrs fish

I think I have just seen a mink on the canal, very close by to where I saw the water voles

It was quite black, can mink be black?
Or has anyone seen a black stoat or weasel?

Should I inform the local wildlife trust do you think?

There's a huge size difference between these animals; Weasels are tiny, Stoats larger + Mink a lot bigger than a Stoat. It sounds like you saw a Mink!

[mrs fish]

I had a awful feeling it was
Thanks for your replys


I will let the wildlife trust know

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Bad and sad news. Well done Mrs F for spotting it and reporting it to the WT lets hope they take action, although it is quite likely that it is all ready to late for the water voles on this stretch of canal. Have you seen any water voles since?

Do you know if there are any humane mink traps on the canal? I wonder if the Suffolk WT have an on going water vole programme or a dedicated officer.


BWD

[Tigz]

I agree with the other replies - your critter is most certainly a mink. We saw several of them in broad daylight on the Warwickshire Avon a few years ago, and many of them were very dark or black in colour. Please let the Suffolk Wildlife Trust know (or your local WT if not Suffolk) as they, along with neighbouring WTs have been attempting to eradicate mink in order to save the Water Vole population.

[vole-woman]

Please ring them straight away, Mrs Fish. They should be able to put traps down straight away. Prompt action might save the day.

[mrs fish]

Reply from email

Theresa

I have forwarded your email to our Water for Wildlife Officer, Penny Hemphill, who is responsible for coordinating the Suffolk mink trapping programme.

Thanks for your interest in Suffolk's wildlife

Simone

No I never saw them again although I did find some holes along the bank?
I wondered if a kestrel had taken them as he/she was about at that same time and I have not seen the kestrel since either.
I was was quite horrified to see the mink yesterday as it was right outside my house coming out of the ditch


Out of curiosity what do they do with the mink they trap?
Is it legal to shoot them?

[vole-woman]

They have to be killed - it's a criminal offence to release mink into the wild. But they do it quickly and humanely as possible.

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by mrs fish

Reply from email

Theresa

I have forwarded your email to our Water for Wildlife Officer, Penny Hemphill, who is responsible for coordinating the Suffolk mink trapping programme.

Thanks for your interest in Suffolk's wildlife

Simone

No I never saw them again although I did find some holes along the bank?
I wondered if a kestrel had taken them as he/she was about at that same time and I have not seen the kestrel since either.
I was was quite horrified to see the mink yesterday as it was right outside my house coming out of the ditch


Out of curiosity what do they do with the mink they trap?
Is it legal to shoot them?

Once the mink are trapped it is then illegal to release them. They have to be destroyed humanly, normally courtesy of a .22 bullet. This is also why the traps are checked daily to try and minimise the suffering.

I do believe you have done the right thing by alerting the wildlife trust, unfortunately the mink do far to much damage to the native water vole populations, as has been discussed in many other threads, and they need to be removed from our waterways

BWD