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

[tearingmyhearout242]

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.

@overitall1

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

Apart from humans presumably?

That’s what I was thinking

Have it shot. It'll kill all the local songbirds/ fish / etc

@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.

Well cats do! Definitely a sport with them!

Let you DH try and catch it. When it takes his fingers off the first time he tries to touch it he will change his tune.

Mink killed our pet rabbit . They are vicious and have been known to attack people fishing .

Humans cats and foxes, to name but a few who kill for shits and giggles.

@tearingmyhearout242

In the countryside you will get rats living in fields etc near your house.

It isn’t hard to keep them at bay from your actual garden. As long as you don’t leave rubbish (for them to live under) and food around, your garden is useless to them. The fields provide much more cover and food.

Not really relevant, but plenty of rodents in towns and cities!

@GuyFawkesDay

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.

Think you'll find its otters that kill mink.

Is it solo though? What if it's got a mate..
Maybe a local vet/farmer could advise?

Is it solo though? What if it's got a mate

Even better - OP could get that coat after all

@UsernameInTheTown

Humans cats and foxes, to name but a few who kill for shits and giggles.

For the hundredth time foxes DON'T kill for fun. They kill all the chickens in the hen house to come back later. They cache any leftovers, same as us storing food in the pantry.

Humans and cats, yes we are evil.

I understand the fuss about mink but think they are mostly destructive to ground nesting waterbirds birds such as ducks, geese, rails and the like. Do you have these nearby or is yours just keeping your rat population down?
We have a field of nesting lapwings and golden plover next door so I'd be really concerned if a mink showed up here. I'd probably try to trap it and take it to a wildlife rescue. Wearing thick gloves!!
I've seen one attack and kill a fully grown mallard, they are spectacularly ferocious.

Ffs, if there are plenty of rodents about it’s not going to go on a wildlife killing spree, it will stick to the rodents. It’s doing you a massive favour, just leave it be. I’d rather a mink that takes care of the local rodent population (which will be plentiful) than the rodents.

@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.

cats?

@HoppingPavlova

Ffs, if there are plenty of rodents about it’s not going to go on a wildlife killing spree, it will stick to the rodents. It’s doing you a massive favour, just leave it be. I’d rather a mink that takes care of the local rodent population (which will be plentiful) than the rodents.

What have you got against field mice, dormice, shrews, voles? And mink don't just stop at rodents, they eat birds (baby birds in particuler) , eggs, fish.

A wildlife killing spree is exactly what a mink goes on.

They are an apex predator in the wrong environment. Would you say the same to someone who had a tiger living under their shed or a rattlesnake?

I've only read the OPs posts and scanned the others so apologies if this has been mentioned before.

Mink are amazing animals but yes, they are an apex predator which has been transplanted into the UK environment. And that's entirely our fault, but I feel our responsibility to protect native wildlife trumps the rights of the mink.

The local wildlife trust will be a better bet than the RSPCA, try contacting them. I know this isn't your area but some useful guidance here: dnu7gk7p9afoo.cloudfront.net/mink-control-best-practice-1.pdf

Also, you mentioned you're near a canal so worth contacting the Canal and Rivers Trust - they may have a mink trapping programme nearby canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-wildlife/the-rogues-gallery-of-invasive-species/american-mink

There is currently a big project going on in the east of England to remove mink from Norfolk, Suffolk and surrounding counties and that's going really well. Again, not your area but you could always ask them for advice
waterliferecoveryeast.org.uk/mink-trapping/

Trapping is legal year-round but more likely to be effective Jan-March and from August.

And yes, as PPs have said, sadly this mink would not do well in a sanctuary (even if you could find one to take it) and could not be trained as a pet. I can absolutely understand that that feels like the best option for it, but it really isn't.

Hope that's some help

Do cats hunt and kill for fun or is it an instinctive behaviour? Given that apparently playing with your cat reduces hunting maybe they just need to perform those actions.

Lots of animals kill for "sport" (well, for reasons other than to eat the prey) - cats, dolphins, chimps, dogs, humans...

I'd leave the mink alone, personally.

They are an apex predator in the wrong environment. Would you say the same to someone who had a tiger living under their shed or a rattlesnake?

Tigers and rattlesnakes pose a direct danger to human lives. Mink really don't, at least not more so than any other small to medium-sized wildlife, so it's a bit of a crazy comparison.

It would be cruel to keep it as a pet even to someone who has them as a pets before , this mink will be wild caught meaning he/she is highly unlikely to cope being kept in captivity.
The mink will be at risk of depression, not eating or highly likely to show abnormal behaviours.

@tearingmyhearout242

My garden isn’t a rat infested hovel ffs. It’s spotless and clean. But now the mink has moved in, is going out and bringing the remains of its dinner back.

We live in the countryside. The garden backs on to a FIELD. Obviously the odd rat will exist in the local vicinity.

I bet you guys have never even seen a cow in real life, either.

For a country dweller that's an odd way to talk about a garden. There are obviously loads of rats around, the mink has been catching them And yes I've seen a cow in real life.

One mink (with a family) if it catches rats etc - I'd leave it be.

We don’t have mink here thankfully but a fen trap in a suitable tunnel would be my go to. Then make a small scarf.

An alternative would be to flush it out with a hose into a sack and then club or drown it, but they are vicious buggers and a fen or similar trap would be my preferred option.

@Wormwoodgal

Make a teeny, tiny coat?

For a second I thought you meant for the mink. 😅