Help identify this little swimmer!

[arveey]

Hi Guys, just signed up as this is doing my head in. Firstly can ferrets swim? Whilst out fishing today this little fella swam on past...

Any ideas? I had noticed two of them earlier running around a nearby garden alongside the river and thought they were ferrets playing together... but then when it begun swimming i began to question myself. can anyone clear this up.

Many thanks in advance
Mark

[Dogghound]

Its an American mink.

[Beekeeper]

Mark

I would suggest you report your sighting to either the local council or in particular the Forestry Commision, Mink are a menace to other wildlife and domestic pets and are usually hunted, trapped and removed as soon as possible.

Ian

[vole-woman]

Whereabouts are you based, Mark? If there are endangered species nearby, eg water voles, you'll need to report this quickly (I'd add to your local wildlife trust) and give an exact location.

[arveey]

Brill thanks for the quick replies i will call the forestry commision tomorrow. I haven't seen any voles on my travels of this area but a few miles upstream i've seen them.

Thanks again
Mark

[arveey]

Here's one from a few weeks ago!

[Tracey.A]

Yes, I'm afraid this is a mink, I would do what vole-woman advised - asap!

Tracey

[Dogs]

I dont understand what the forrestry commision need to know for? They dont carry out any mink control, or look after riverways.
Its widely accepted that the American Mink is present throughout the majority of british river systems, so ringing up and telling people isnt going to achieve anything at all, unless the mink was seen on, say, national trust land, then by far the best thing to do would be to contact the landowner, as they will be the only person that has a say in what happens on their land.

[The Woodman]

I think that the FC Wildlife Rangers may (should) be interested in this. If the sighting was on their property they may well get their traps out.

I'm meeting one tomorrow and I'll ask him what they would do in a similar circumstance in my area.

[vole-woman]

Some Wildlife Trusts do mink control, Dogs (with landowners' permission). Or if they don't want to get involved, they might be able to advise of someone who'll do it.