One of Britain’s most notorious invasive species – the American mink – could soon be eliminated from Britain after a successful trial.
American Mink is a ruthless killer who has decimated wildlife wherever he goes, slaughtering sand martins, kingfishers, lapwings, frogs and toads.
But it was the water voles – the sweet inspiration for Ratty in Wind in the Willows – that suffered particularly badly from their teeth and claws.
The number of water voles has fallen by 96 percent since 1950, when mink first flourished in the wild.
American mink is now present in most areas of Britain and Ireland.
One of Britain’s most notorious invasive species – the American mink – could soon be eliminated from Britain after a successful trial
American Mink is a ruthless killer who has decimated wildlife wherever he goes: slaughtering sand martins, kingfishers, lapwings, frogs and toads
Now a four-year project has successfully eliminated minks from East Anglia, and there are plans to extend their eradication across Britain.
The Waterlife Recovery Trust, which led the project, believes the writings could now be on for Britain’s 100,000-strong wild mink population.
It would mark the end of a reign of terror against wildlife caused by the mink since it was first imported into Britain in the 1920s, when it was raised on fur farms for its chocolate brown fur but soon escaped.
It is also thought that releases by animal rights activists in the 1970s increased the number of American mink, and previous attempts to control the animal have been in vain.
The Waterlife Recovery Trust said almost 6,000 km2 of East Anglia was clear of American mink, and water vole and bird numbers were beginning to recover.
The Trust said the ‘sheer scale of this trial shows that a mink-free Britain is now a realistic dream, and that American minks could also potentially be removed from Europe, putting this unique trial on the world conservation stage’.
The latest attempt to eliminate the creatures began in 2019.
American mink is now present in most areas of Britain and Ireland
An army of volunteers used 441 ‘smart’ cage traps on floating rafts that lure mink with pungent scent lures. When they catch an animal, they warn the volunteer with an electronic signal.
The volunteer is then present. Other animals or birds caught in the trap are released, but minks are killed by an airgun bullet to the head.
Norfolk and Suffolk were a good test for the trial because they were surrounded on two sides by the North Sea, which prevented minks from recolonizing the area.
In October 2023, the trial proved successful as the team found no evidence of mink reproduction during the 2023 breeding season.
Now the WRT plans to roll out this methodology across Britain.
Professor Tony Martin, chairman of the Waterlife Recovery Trust, said: ‘Until now, the complete removal of American mink from Britain has been an impossible dream, but the success of this trial offers hope that a century of catastrophic damage to precious native wild animals can be solved. put an end to it.
‘It is now a race against time to eradicate minks before they wipe out the last of our voles and put the final nail in the coffin of seabird colonies already hit by bird flu.’
‘Together, our dedicated volunteers, partners and professional team have achieved a conservation goal of international importance, but this is just the beginning. The challenge now is to roll out this work across the country, bringing together the resources and energy of everyone who cares about healthy waterways and a thriving waterfront ecology to solve this problem once and for all.
‘With minks in our countryside, the sad reality is that something will die – either a relatively small number of introduced predators, or millions of native creatures every year, forever. The choice is ours, but if we sit on our hands and do nothing, we are condemning the millions.
‘We now have a golden opportunity to solve a problem we inherited and not simply pass on a still impoverished natural world to the next generation. Nature has a remarkable ability to bounce back, if given a chance. Let’s give it that chance.’
Now the trust is expanding the trial to an area from the Thames to mid-Lincolnshire and the charity has received £500,000 funding from Natural England for the project.
Dr. Julie Hanna, Lead Advisor, Species Conservation Strategies Pilots, Natural England, said: ‘Natural England is pleased to support the Waterlife Recovery Trust in developing a pilot Species Conservation Strategy for water voles with partner organisations.
‘The results of the trial are encouraging and we hope they will contribute to the recovery of water vole populations, and benefit other species affected by the American mink.’