Mink taking leaves to its den

Comment by Dan Carrington on January 24, 2012 at 18:44

Nice capture confirming den site- question is are you going to monitor the den or trap the mink and kill it humanely before it breeds?- tough decision:)

Comment by Mike Mottram on January 24, 2012 at 19:06

 Tough decision it is and as I bought a trap a while ago with that idea in mind and nothing ever came of it but I thought that I am there to document them not kill anything, if I humanly dispatched it then it would not make a dent in the population around here as the constant travel of them up and down the canals, rivers and streams would quite easily replace them if I started controlling them then it would have to be 100% commiting to it and would be a constant task of bait and kill so its not anything I can take up anytime soon plus the wildlife trust seems to miss out my local area due to the lack of interest they say. The rivers down here flood alot so most of the banks are not suitable for watervoles but there are a number of areas where Watervoles are but I have yet to film them and they are inaccesible by Mink plus now the Otters are coming back here once they settle hoping they will have an effect on the Mink in the area.

Comment by Melanie Beckford on January 24, 2012 at 20:55

Hi Mike, l like your answer and l think it's a very fair one....please will you check your messages ?

Thanks...

 

Comment by Mike Mottram on January 25, 2012 at 18:33

Thank you and I have answered your messages today.

Comment by Dan Carrington on January 25, 2012 at 20:22

Definetely a full time job once you begin and am surprised by lack of support by your local wildlife trust as they all seem to be jumping on the bandwagon of culling programs at the minute.

You say that you have watervoles but these areas are innaccessible to Mink- i have to disagree with this point as Mink will get anywhere if there is a food supply for them; although the presence of Otters will hopefully keep Mink numbers down:)

Comment by Mike Mottram on January 25, 2012 at 20:51

In most circumstances i agree that mink can get to most places for food but There are a few ponds miles away from rivers,streams and canals and there is reports of no mink signs and plenty of watervole signs around. the area around me is waterway central so if food becomes an issue they move along the canals and rivers for new food sources. The Cheshire wildlife trust do there bit for Cheshire but my town seems to be lacking when it comes to mink culling and most conservation projects that's why I am doing my bit in the ways I can documenting, boxes, habitat building ie. Ponds. Honestly you would not believe the damage that is being caused to some of the wildlife conservation areas fenced off to keep the areas safe for wildlife it seems like my town is just not up there in the importance of wild areas in Cheshire and that's my goal to show people in my home town the amazing wildlife and countryside on there doorsteps and that it should be protected and conserved for the future generations to enjoy.

Add a Comment