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.

If you can capture it alive, you can call the rspca, but I don't think they would come out to help catch it

@Asdf12345

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.

Ffs it needs to be done humanely if it's going to be done at all.

Woken up today to no rodents but what looks like the remains of a songbird

Was hoping it’d just move on by itself so I no longer have to deal with it.

Ringing Natural England in a bit.

@overitall1

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

Apart from humans presumably?

Loads of animals do this

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

I live very rurally and I would leave it too. At a push, I'd call the RSPCA but I'd probably just leave it to live its life and kill rats

I visited a Forestry Commission project in the Trossachs a few years ago, they were trying to re-introduce water voles and were having great success until a few mink moved into the area. Voles didn't have a chance. They had these smart traps filled with a sort of plasticine on the bottom, they could tell what animals were using the trap because of the footprints they used. If they detected a mink, they'd set more traps to kill it.

They are invasive and destructive. The Japanese knotweed of the mammal world. You do need to trap and destroy OP. Or get your friendly farmer to destroy if you're not up for it yourself.

Skipped from page 3 to page 8. I live in the centre of a town, my garden always has dead rats in it. My house has had a few live ones too - thanks to the cats 🙄 so calling out OP for wanting to get rid of a mink is just daft.
I agree they are very cute in a ferret way, but ultimately you don't want it finding a local mate and breeding.
Let us know how you get on when you have called Natural England.

OP - not that this makes a difference but I had a friend who had a pet ferret, she used to walk it on leads. Not saying you should do this with this mink.

@Gonnagetgoing

Goodness me, how cute!

They really are a cute family of animals, ferret, mink, otters etc. Mink are just gorgeous. It’s a shame they are such vicious buggers, I’d happily have one as a pet (I’m joking, I know they are wild animals, before somebody jumps down my throat).

Natural England were more useless than I expected tbh. The person on the phone seemed clueless. They advised me on what NOT to do (don’t poison it because it’s cruel, don’t catch it and move it along etc) but didn’t really offer much help.

Have asked on the village Facebook group for anybody with (preferably professional) experience in trapping and have had a few responses/referrals. I wouldn’t want DH doing it. Then once it’s captured take it next door for the farmer to deal with. I’ve already spoken to him about it and he’s happy to do it. I’m sure it’ll be done quickly. He’s the go-to in the village for things like this. He’s dealt with sick wild rabbits, wild animals that have been run over etc.

I wonder if there’s something wrong with it anyway. I think it’s moved into our garden because we have the pond but I don’t know why it’s leaving the remains of its dinner in the garden near its burrow. I wonder if it’s ill. I don’t know the way of mink.

Buy a trap and then put the trap in a large container of water. Quickest most humane death.

Mink are an alien species. If it was caught it would be illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to release it. The RSPCA won't be interested. The local wildlife trust might be as they threaten our native wildlife, but would probably call a pest extermination service to get rid of it. I can't imagine any wildlife sanctuary wanting it any more than they want rats or feral cats.

You need a Tube Trap, it will humanely kill the mink - local gamekeepers will probably have one. You just bait it and somewhere close to where you know it is.

Poor little mink.

Poor little mink

You might not think so if you'd had one of them hanging by its teeth from your thumb, Gonnagetgoing

They might look cute - and I'm not even sure about that - but those things are vicious (and that includes to the indigenous wildlife, which they're not)

@tearingmyhearout242

Hi Op just to give you a bit of support, I'm an ecologist as my job. If you have an american mink its territory will extend between 1-6km, both waterways and land. As you are aware they are an Invasive Non Native Species and are extremely destructive to a majority of native wildlife.

It is against the law to release or rerelease it if it is captured or trapped accidentally or otherwise. Under the Countryside and Wildlife act. They have been responsible for an over 50% decline in many regions for water voles and are a fierce predator of birds especially many of our ground nesting birds that are in serious decline.

I would not expect Natural England to have much information for you, but my advice would be to look for a registered pest control and speak to them for advice to humanly dispatch it with out causing undue pain or suffering in the circumstances.

They really are destructive and damaging for all out native wildlife and it will be doing far more damage than the immediate area. You would honestly be removing one to save many.

@Eggshausted

Buy a trap and then put the trap in a large container of water. Quickest most humane death.

Don't do this. Drowning is not considered quick or humane.

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/187946/1-500-cruelty-fine-for-man-who-drowned-a-squirrel

get it a wife, wait for the kids to come along, and hey presto, instant warm coat, free!
I am joking btw!

Somebody responded to my message on a local Facebook group and came round. A game trapper. Trap is set, so just have to wait now. We made sure to do it in the evening so hopefully it wasn’t out when we did it. It should be trapped as it tries to leave the burrow.

Just leave it alone and make sure there are no food sources.

What if it is a polecat or similar, rarer species. Same family, very similar.

Put a wildlife camera out.
Sorry not rtft

Sorry, saw you used a camera already.
Are you sure it isnt a pine marten or polecat? They do look very similar and are protected.

And cats? But we let them roam free