Hundreds of mink have escaped

dee o gee

kittywong16 wrote: »

have been catching mink for years on my land which have killed hens ducks, and there isnt a fish to be seen in river. however last week i caught 2 that were practically tame , 1 white 1 black, i wonder are these some of the mink released in donegal bearing in mind that im in limerick

They sound more like ferrets. What did you do with them? Stick a few notices around the place as they were probably escaped pets or hunting ferrets.

Noreen1

dee o gee wrote: »

They sound more like ferrets. What did you do with them? Stick a few notices around the place as they were probably escaped pets or hunting ferrets.

From wiki:

A mink's rich glossy coat in its wild state is brown and looks silky,  but farm-bred mink can vary from white to almost black, which is  reflected in the British wild mink. Their pelage is deep, rich brown,  with or without white spots on the underparts, and consists of a slick,  dense underfur overlaid with dark, glossy, almost stiff guard hairs, and  pink.

I checked the range of colours, because I've never seen a white mink.
On the other hand, I have seen wild black mink, though they're probably descended from "escaped" farm mink, anyway.:mad:
Black mink are not uncommon in Donegal, whatever about the rest of the country.

dee o gee

Noreen1 wrote: »

From wiki:

A mink's rich glossy coat in its wild state is brown and looks silky,  but farm-bred mink can vary from white to almost black, which is  reflected in the British wild mink. Their pelage is deep, rich brown,  with or without white spots on the underparts, and consists of a slick,  dense underfur overlaid with dark, glossy, almost stiff guard hairs, and  pink.

I checked the range of colours, because I've never seen a white mink.
On the other hand, I have seen wild black mink, though they're probably descended from "escaped" farm mink, anyway.:mad:
Black mink are not uncommon in Donegal, whatever about the rest of the country.

I was just going on the fact that he said they were tame, and someone mentioned that the mink from the donegal farm were all brown, I presumed all farm-bred mink were brown (in Ireland, not british wild mink).

Noreen1

dee o gee wrote: »

I was just going on the fact that he said they were tame, and someone mentioned that the mink from the donegal farm were all brown, I presumed all farm-bred mink were brown (in Ireland, not british wild mink).

AFAIK, all the mink in Ireland are descended from escapees from fur farms. So, it's likely that they are American, rather than European, mink. Apparently American mink have better quality fur, so they are farmed more often than European mink.

All of the descendants of escaped mink that I've seen are either black or brown, so it's probably true to say that while the mink on that particular farm were brown, previous farms in that area who had mink escape have a lot of black descendants, whether that's because of selective breeding, or because they become darker to adapt to life in the wild, I couldn't say, so I got curious as to the range of colour.:D

I'm assuming that kittywong16 would know the difference between mink and stoat, if he/she has been catching them for years, and is familar enough with them to note that these particular animals were practically tame. (I didn't think you could tame a mink, TBH)

kittywong16

Noreen1 wrote: »

AFAIK, all the mink in Ireland are descended from escapees from fur farms. So, it's likely that they are American, rather than European, mink. Apparently American mink have better quality fur, so they are farmed more often than European mink.

All of the descendants of escaped mink that I've seen are either black or brown, so it's probably true to say that while the mink on that particular farm were brown, previous farms in that area who had mink escape have a lot of black descendants, whether that's because of selective breeding, or because they become darker to adapt to life in the wild, I couldn't say, so I got curious as to the range of colour.:D

I'm assuming that kittywong16 would know the difference between mink and stoat, if he/she has been catching them for years, and is familar enough with them to note that these particular animals were practically tame. (I didn't think you could tame a mink, TBH)

definitely a mink, i have done a small bit of research and there are white mink farm bred, they can be tamed if they are got young enough but i actually think the guy i got is albino as his eyes are pink and i still have him in a large and he would nearly talk to you ,he comes out of his nest in the morning and would eat meat out of my hand ,through the mesh of course as i wouldnt have the balls to really trust him

muffler

It seems one of them didnt get too far.









sorry, couldn't resist

irish1967

That's nuts !

Firblog

Well it seems that the vandals have won here, the farm is closing down in October; so there'll be 5 or 6 people joining the brave eco-warriors on the dole...

annascott

sup_dude wrote: »

Horses? I don't think a mink could kill a horse to be honest, nor a large dog but then again, I could be wrong.

Talk about an immature, irresponsible act though! It's going to cause some devestation

OMG!! I live in the country and my little dog has about 2 acres to run around on. Hedged, gated and fenced to keep her in but certainly would not be mink proof. I don't want her getting attacked. How far can mink travel? I am about 30 km from Ardara.

Fur farms should be banned completely and I feel nothing but contempt for anyone linked to the fur trade. However, this was a thoughtless act with massive and dangerous repercussions.

danniemcq

what breed is the dog,

if its a little toy dog thats pampered i wouldn't say it'd give much fight but a small terrier (westie or the like) that has hunting bred into them should be ok

annascott

danniemcq wrote: »

what breed is the dog,

if its a little toy dog thats pampered i wouldn't say it'd give much fight but a small terrier (westie or the like) that has hunting bred into them should be ok

She is a spaniel/terrier cross. About the same build as a westie but a little talller. She does the ferocious tear-and-shred head shaking thing when playing with soft toys, has a couple of rough and tumble big dog (labs) playmates and is ferocious with strangers but is very pampered and has never actually been in a fight.

Firblog

annascott wrote: »

Fur farms should be banned completely and I feel nothing but contempt for anyone linked to the fur trade.

That's your opinion and well entitled to it; I feel nothing but contempt for hypocrites who give out about cruel farming practices yet still eat/wear products made from animals...

muffler

I can see where this is going and its best all round to have the thread closed now. It is after all 16 months since the event so no need for further comment.