A few young Minks

Excellent capture! Don't think I have ever seen one in my 53 years.
 
yeah but on #2 you can see his lil baby teeth awwww - 'gawjuss' as the yoof say
 
Mostly seen from a distance swimming but it looks like i have found the den.....if they are young the mother will leave them for long periods ...
 
These are fantastic shots- amongst the best Wildlife photos I've seen on here .:clap:
 
When Mums out give 'em a lickle tickle from me ......he he he he

Wouldn't want one of them down me trouser leg...ouch.

Brilliant images.....The only one I have seen was really skittish but I know some people have had to step over them on pathways.

Keith (y)
 
den said:
Slight dilema at the moment on whether to report these to the EA .....
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Yes they look cute now, but they won't grow up that way; a bit like fox cubs.

You really do need to report it I'm afraid.
 
den said:
Slight dilema at the moment on whether to report these to the EA .....
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Deffo get them destroyed. They have no place in our wildlife, horrible destructive little b******s of things.

That said, there are some good clear pictures there(y)
 
...

ps: I forgot to mention that they're a cracking set of photos!! :)
 
My heart said no but my head said yes (report them) i have been back up to see my little owl and logged the spot on my GPS were the den is .....
 
Great set, and well taken.

As for getting them killed. . . . . . . I will refrain from adding what I really think about that, but I will ask what gives you the right?
 
Hi, David i have not said i want them killed i have just logged the spot with my GPS , i will check what my local EA do regarding Mink first ...i don't want them culled but i have seen and read what they can do to local wildlife ,, including the kingfisher ,it's not easy making this sort of decission especially when i love all wildlife , as a previous poster as stated they look cute now but wait untill they are older ....they will take almost anything.
 
it is probably better to report it to a local wildlife trust as they use live traps and don't kill them - they just remove them.

I agree that 'we' have no right to control animal populations, especially not by culling, and especially when it's just to benefit humans (so there's more fish for the 'sport' of angling for example), but we caused the problem in the first place by introducing a non-indiginous species (like grey squirrels). IIRC mink cause the most destruction to water voles.
 
On my summer cottage island we can choose to have minks or 10+ species of nesting birds. But not both. So I also like to shoot minks ;)
 
Mink are vermin, not indigenous and a very dangerous animal to have about out countryside. They need to be exterminated.

If you don't want to report them Den, PM me the details and I'll do it on your behalf. We do have every right, legally and morally, to control pests, vermin and things that disturb the natural balance of our wildlife. Fact!!

This is now going off track and I'm not getting involved in any further arguments with tree huggers:D:D:D:D;);)
 
BRASH said:
Mink are vermin, not indigenous and a very dangerous animal to have about out countryside. They need to be exterminated.

If you don't want to report them Den, PM me the details and I'll do it on your behalf. We do have every right, legally and morally, to control pests, vermin and things that disturb the natural balance of our wildlife. Fact!!

This is now going off track and I'm not getting involved in any further arguments with tree huggers:D:D:D:D;);)
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Ohhhh Ohhhh please can we apply the same reasoning to the immigrants please please please. . . . . .

Okay - don't all shout at me at once. I will also stop before it derails any further.

back to the photos - #1 out of these, by the looks of it they are a cross between a weasel and an otter? Don't think I have ever seen one in a zoo let alone the wild so good catch

.DAVID.
 
To me they are just wild animals that i was lucky enough to get the chance to photograph......we are all entitled to our opinion,,,,,i know what i am going to do regarding whether to report or not and i will keep that to myself .....thanks all for the comments
 
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There's no worse an animal than humans to upset the natural balance in any eco system, we encourage them to breed out of control and even finance it.
At least mink kill to survive even if it is some of our favs that are targeted.
Just saying..........
Superb shots
 
Dennis Mike or myself will see them off
We've seen the DEVASTATION they do.
Stuart
 
Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.

Christina Georgina Rossetti
 
Damn Hippies. Need exterminating too!!:D:D:LOL:;)(y)
 
First of all - Well done Den - A really good set these critters are difficult to photograph they do not stay still for long.


Now to answer the quote below

sturisoma said:
it is probably better to report it to a local wildlife trust as they use live traps and don't kill them - they just remove them.

I agree that 'we' have no right to control animal populations, especially not by culling, and especially when it's just to benefit humans (so there's more fish for the 'sport' of angling for example), but we caused the problem in the first place by introducing a non-indiginous species (like grey squirrels). IIRC mink cause the most destruction to water voles.
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It is an offence to release mink or any non native species

The control of mink is not to benefit humans but to benefit British wildlife

see below

Scientific name: Mustela vison
AKA: Feral Mink and Minc (Welsh)
Native to: North America
Habitat: Aquatic habitats, including coastal, but mainly rivers and lakes
Established throughout the UK. Mostly nocturnal or active at dusk (but may be active at any time). Introduced for fur farm- ing in the 1920s, with a peak in the 1960s. Established in the wild as a result of escapes and deliberate introductions. First recorded breeding in the wild in 1956. Has significant impact on native wildlife, especially water voles, sea birds, domestic fowl and fish on which it predates.
American mink is listed under Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with respect to England, Wales and Scotland. As such it is an offence to release or allow the es- cape of this species into the wild.



Regards


Mike
 
thanks Mike, but did you not read the part where I said

"we caused the problem in the first place by introducing a non-indiginous species "

I admit to being a hippy :LOL: but I also understand about wildlife control. I don't think we should cull animals which live on this island through no fault of their own. Control does not mean kill.

(I was also thinking of the seal culling, which I think (in my simplistic world) is done so that there's more fish for us to eat)
 
sturisoma said:
I admit to being a hippy :LOL:
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Damn!!!! Didn't actually realise there were any left. Thought I killed the last one in '82. There's work to be done:LOL::LOL::D:p;)
 
maybe you didn't go far enough north :p
 
It has nothing to do with cute (speaking for myself) - many animals kill but that doesn't mean we should destroy them. We can control them humanely.
 
sturisoma said:
maybe you didn't go far enough north :p
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I obviously never ventured far enough south. However, my days of foraging, raping, pillaging and destroying ain't over yet. So look out for a pair of DM's heading your way soon:D:D
 
Hi Den. These are lovely images. I'd love just to see them.

As for what you do. make the choice that you're comfortable with.

I dont think we can pick and choose which species of non indigenous animals we eradicate simply because they are predators.

Good luck with your dilemma.

Gary
 
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sturisoma said:
It has nothing to do with cute (speaking for myself) - many animals kill but that doesn't mean we should destroy them. We can control them humanely.
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Trapping and culling is humane. Unless you mean we should trap and them keep them as pets or in a zoo or similar?!

Mink NEED to be culled or they decimate the ecosystems they find themselves in. I agree it is our (humans not mine personally) fault they are there in the first place but surely means we should be the ones to try and clean the mess up?

Never realised a forum where people obviously love nature enough to spend vast amounts of time capturing special moments wouldn't understand the necessity of intervening in the habitats to maintain them. We no longer live in a balanced ecosystem, people in the concentrations you find them in the British Isles mean that very few areas are truly wilderness anymore and we have removed important things such as apex predators and wild fires. In the absence of this natural balance we need to intervene to conserve as much of the native flora and fauna as possible.

If we left it well alone as it is now it would not magically recover as most of the "hippies" seem to suggest, it would get worse, much worse.

I tried to stay out of this but couldn't, I studied ecology and conservation at Uni and love wildlife more than most other things but this attitude of leave it alone and it will recover is damaging. We would need to first remove most of the people and then leave, even then it would not return to how it was, just find some form of new balance which would take more lifetimes than I care to wait.

Summary: culling is essential to a lot of conservation
 
just as a matter of interest here are some of the non indigenous species in the UK that should obviously now be culled. They must all impact on the ecosystem in some way. The apex predator are humans. We think that we know best what nature needs. Invariably we don't. Take Yellowstone national park as an example of human intervention when nature can do so much better.

Fallow deer
Muntjac deer
Chinese water deer
Brown rat
Black rat
Hamster
Rabbit
Hare
House mouse
Orkney Vole (Common vole subspecies)
Edible dormouse
North American Mink
Grey squirrel
Feral cat

Egyptian goose
Canada goose
Bar headed Goose
Mandarin duck
Carolina Wood duck
Red crested pochard
Ruddy duck
Muscovy Duck
Little Owl
Pheasant species
French partridge
Bobwhite quail
Budgerigar
Ring necked parakeet
Monk Parakeet
European eagle owl
Ruddy shelduck

Green lizard
Common Wall lizard
Slow worm (introduced to Ireland where it is not native)
Tesselated snake
Aesculapian snake
Red Eared Terrapin or Slider
European pond terrapin

Guppy
Wels catfish
Zander
Bitterling
Common Carp
Goldfish
Orfe
Rainbow trout
Brook trout
Top mouth gudgeon
 
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thought these little things were released by accident in the 60s & 70s and now are caught and killed on sight by many wildlife organisations as they are destructive to wildlife such as kingfishers, water voles etc.

http://www.gwct.org.uk/research__surveys/species_research/mammals/american_mink/default.asp

great shots of them and although not native a great looking animal

if they damage wildlife then to cull them to manageable numbers is surely the best thing todo
 
schrismonkey said:
thought these little things were released by accident in the 60s & 70s and now are caught and killed on sight by many wildlife organisations as they are destructive to wildlife such as kingfishers, water voles etc.

http://www.gwct.org.uk/research__surveys/species_research/mammals/american_mink/default.asp

great shots of them and although not native a great looking animal

if they damage wildlife then to cull them to manageable numbers is surely the best thing todo
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Many of these were escapes and accidental releases, but a lot of mink were also freed by animal rights activists as a protest against the fur trade.
 
Completely agree Gaz, and a lot of those species are in fact hevaily controlled in areas where they cause the most damage, grey squirrels and muntjac immediately spring to mind there. Muntjac in particular are managed by a lot of shooters as I believe they do not have seasons the same as most deer so are shot all year round and this has still not been enough to stop their spread. They are incredibly destructive to wild flowers and there is a lot of demand for further control in areas with important populations of rare flora.

I think the sensible thing (and what is being done) is to go through these lists, as well as lists of the indigenous species which are booming beyond natural levels, and determine which are causing the most damage and therefore which we should put most of the limited resources in to controlling. I would guess mink would be quite high up that list with damage to many important and rare species such as the water vole.

Some species such as the carp and pheasants are a different kettle of fish altogether. A lot of income is generated by them and I dont think people will feel to kindly about wanting them removed. As someone who very much enjoys country sports I admit to being torn on these species but would probably agree to their removal if it was achievable.

I totally agree overpopulation of humans is the main problem, but there is no one going to start a cull on that damaging species.

Dan
 
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