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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

There’s a mink in my back garden, what to do?

198 replies

tearingmyhearout242 · 23/03/2022 18:12

I live in an area not far from where there used to be a mink farm years ago. It got shut down but many escaped/were let loose and it’s not unheard of to see minks in the local area.

The past week I’ve been waking up and finding remains of dead rodents in the garden. Often there isn’t much left. I thought maybe it was a local cat. Except yesterday evening I saw something black and slinky run across the garden. Having seen a mink in a local park before I recognised it as a mink.

DH went wandering around the garden and found a burrow, it goes underneath the shed. He left an old unused camera there overnight and we did in fact catch footage of it leaving the burrow and going back in later. It even sniffed the camera. It’s adorable, but we can’t just leave it when they are so dangerous to natural wildlife.

DH wants to try and catch it himself. But there don’t seem to be any mink sanctuaries etc we could send it to. I assume due to them being an invasive species. I just want to get an exterminator in to get rid of it humanely ASAP, especially as we are trying to move. I’m sick of all of the dead rodents.

OP posts:
Nitgel · 23/03/2022 18:15

Sings ' there's a mink in my garden what am I gonna do' (gets coat)

Wormwoodgal · 23/03/2022 18:16

Make a teeny, tiny coat?

Baystard · 23/03/2022 18:16

I'd rather have a mink than live rodents.

VariationsonaTheme · 23/03/2022 18:18

Surely the mink plus dead rodents is preferable to live rodents?!

GuyFawkesDay · 23/03/2022 18:18

Mink are massively destructive. They don't just kill rodents, they kill otters and all sorts of native wildlife. They're an invasive species so need humanely controlling.

tearingmyhearout242 · 23/03/2022 18:19

@Baystard

We are rural so obviously there are rodents about but we very rarely see them. I’ve seen 2 in 15 years of living here. They don’t really bother us.

Also often we get little birds and baby birds in nests in the trees just over the fence. I worry about them

OP posts:
ArgonNeon · 23/03/2022 18:20

Leave the poor thing alone. Humans cause infinitely more destruction to wildlife besides I'd rather have a mink around than rats in my home. It's clearly helping to keep the local rodent population down. There's nothing humane about Mink traps.

ClariceQuiff · 23/03/2022 18:21

Call the RSPCA for advice. There's sure to be a sanctuary it could be taken to.

ArgonNeon · 23/03/2022 18:23

Mink are massively destructive. They don't just kill rodents, they kill otters and all sorts of native wildlife. They're an invasive species so need humanely controlling.

More like otters kill mink. Otters are much larger and will almost always have the upper hand.

www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/mink-numbers-drop-as-the-otter-bites-back-93043.html

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-20019243.html

Adeleskirts · 23/03/2022 18:25

They are vicious and highly aggressive . Call the rspca.

We got one in the house once, bugger ran in and dived under the sofa. Fortunately it left again,

Minks are the only animal which kills for sport. Not for food. Not for fear. For sport.

Yeshkimesh · 23/03/2022 18:28

Leave it alone for god sake. There is no humane way to kill it

tearingmyhearout242 · 23/03/2022 18:28

It’s an adorable little thing judging by the crappy 5 second camera footage we got of it and DS wants DH to catch it so we can keep it as a pet. No thanks. He’ll be horrified if we get an exterminator in.

I know how destructive they are though. Literally never see rats but now constantly seeing them strewn across my back garden. Ergh.

I feel we owe it to local wildlife to just get rid of it ASAP.

OP posts:
overitall1 · 23/03/2022 18:28

Minks are the only animal which kills for sport. Not for food. Not for fear. For sport.

Apart from humans presumably? Hmm

Philisophigal · 23/03/2022 18:28

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn at the user's request.

SocksAndTheCity · 23/03/2022 18:29

@Adeleskirts

They are vicious and highly aggressive . Call the rspca.

We got one in the house once, bugger ran in and dived under the sofa. Fortunately it left again,

Minks are the only animal which kills for sport. Not for food. Not for fear. For sport.

I bet I can think of another one.
tearingmyhearout242 · 23/03/2022 18:30

There are no rodents inside my house.

15 years living here and in that time I’ve seen 2 run through the back garden. 2! The mink is going out, finding them, killing them and bringing them back.

I’ve got news for all of you who think that they can’t possibly have ever had rodents within 15 miles of their home.

OP posts:
ClariceQuiff · 23/03/2022 18:30

I say again - call the RSPCA for advice.

Hopefully they can collect it and take it somewhere safe and appropriate.

Philisophigal · 23/03/2022 18:31

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn at the user's request.

Daenerys77 · 23/03/2022 18:31

You can shoot them with an air pistol, apparently.

tearingmyhearout242 · 23/03/2022 18:33

It’s obvious many people on this thread have never lived in the countryside. Wow.

OP posts:
ApolloandDaphne · 23/03/2022 18:33

We have them around here. They are just left to get on with it. I doubt the RSPCA will do anything about it.

Philisophigal · 23/03/2022 18:34

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

tearingmyhearout242 · 23/03/2022 18:34

@Philisophigal

You have serious issues.

OP posts:
hennaoj · 23/03/2022 18:35

Mink aren't the only animals that kill for sport, cats do and a fox in a hen house certainly will. They can actually be fantastic pets, rather like ferrets but like any wild animal when cornered they will defend themselves. Leave it alone, the RSPCA will only kill it and killing a single Mink won't make a much of a dent on the local Mink population anyway.

DontKeepTheFaith · 23/03/2022 18:35

@Wormwoodgal

Make a teeny, tiny coat?
🤣🤣 Made me laugh.

Definitely get advice and exterminate if that’s the advice.