Illinois: Muskrats, minks harbor toxoplasmosis, a cat disease

Date:

January 28, 2015

Source:

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Summary:

A new study of muskrats and minks in central Illinois indicates that toxoplasmosis, a disease spread by cats, is moving rapidly through the landscape and contaminating local waterways. In humans, toxoplasmosis infection has been correlatively linked to miscarriage, autism, depression, schizophrenia, increased suicide risk and decreased learning in children, authors note.

Continued ...

Contented Males Fare Better With the 'Ladies'

Nov. 25, 2013 — Happy, sane males have better love lives -- at least for mink.

A first-ever study from the University of Guelph reveals that relaxed, content male mink raised in enriched environments -- cages complete with pools, toys and swings -- are more successful in the mating season.

The research, led by animal welfare expert Prof. Georgia Mason and her doctoral student Maria Diez-Leon, was published recently in PLOS ONE, an international journal published by the Public Library of Science.

Continued

Invasive Mink Threatens South America's Largest Woodpecker

Invasive American minks may threaten the largest woodpecker species in South America, according to new research.

The Magellanic woodpecker — a relative of the extinct ivory-billed woodpecker — lives throughout the Andes of Chile and Argentina. The large birds only produce one offspring per year and maintain broad territorial boundaries of about 1 square kilometer (0.4 square miles) per male-female pair, limiting the density and growth of their population.

Still, the charismatic birds maintain stable populations by holing up in branchless, dead trees that carnivores struggle to climb. Until now, there have been no records of predation on the birds.

Continued

Hebrides' successful mink project gets three-year extension

Focus shifting from trapping to monitoringSeptember 2011: A project battling the damaging effects of mink on Scotland's wildlife has just been extended for a further three years. The Hebridean Mink Project (HMP) will continue with an emphasis on monitoring until March 2014. This extension has been assisted by a contribution of £36,000 from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CNES).

‘This extra funding from the Comhairle was vital in securing an extension to the project. The Comhairle's continuing support of the project in difficult financial times is very much appreciated,' Iain Macleod, the project manager, confirmed.

Cllr Archie Campbell, chair of the Sustainable Development Committee, said: ‘As the Comhairle has been a partner since the project started and given its success to date, we are keen to see the project meet its aims. We have therefore agreed to continue supporting the project during this final phase.'

It is hoped the population will not recoverThe HMP is one of the largest and most complex of its kind anywhere in the world. It uses thousands of traps to catch mink, which are then euthanised. It is now becoming evident that the population of mink has reduced to the extent that individuals are having difficulty finding a mate.

It is hoped the population will not recover in the face of continued intensive trapping.

The reduction in the population now means that the project strategy will change from trapping to monitoring of the area, making use of rafts and tunnels with clay tracking plates. This will allow the targeting of individual animals wherever they are found.

Mink are opportunist predators which catch and eat almost anything and pose a threat to the islands' native wildlife, particularly birds like tern, golden plover, and red/black throated divers.
Almost 1,530 mink have been caught so far.

Arctic tern colonies increasedAreas like the Outer Hebrides rely on wildlife tourism which is reckoned to be worth around £2.5million a year to the local economy. And the mink project helps underpin the economy by creating and retaining 14 full-time trapping jobs.

Monitoring work by RSPB Scotland on local populations of Arctic tern - which fly thousands of miles to migrate to the Western Isles where they raise young - has found some evidence that colonies have increased from six to 26 around Lewis and Harris.

Martin Scott, the local RSPB officer stated: ‘I found 26 colonies of varying size around Lewis and Harris and I have been informed that terns bred again on some of the islands in the sound of Harris. Until recently, we had been down to just five or six colonies. The evidence shows that this species is showing a positive response to mink removal.'
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/mink-scotland092011.html

Mink have colonised large areas of coastline

By John Ross


AGGRESSIVE mink have colonised most of the coastline of Skye and Lochalsh posing a risk to ground-nesting birds, according to volunteers carrying out a monitoring project.

Hotspots have been found in Kyle, Kylerhea, Loch Bracadale and North Trotternish as well as the islands in the Sound of Raasay, the Skye and Lochalsh, Environment Forum's Mink Survey says.


About 50 people have now reported mink sightings, including those that have been trapped, killed on the roads or had footprints recorded in tunnels set with clay pads.

Scores of volunteers, including crofters and members of conservation bodies and fishing organisations, have helped gather the information for the survey, which is funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, the Highland Council and the European Leader programme.

The aim is to develop a policy to help protect native wildlife and biodiversity from the alien species.

Mink were introduced into Britain as a farmed animal for their fur, but escaped, or were released into the wild, where they compete with otters and others of the weasel family. They feed on fish, ground-nesting birds, eggs, and small mammals, and often take poultry from hen houses and runs.

Mammal Society member Roger Cottis welcomed the recent results: "This is an important element in the continuing fight to help indigenous Scottish wildlife under threat."

A project has been removing mink from the Western Isles for ten years during which time almost 1,500 animals have been cleared from the islands.

http://news.scotsman.com/nature/Mink-have-colonised-large-areas.6657245.jp

Mink release in Donegal threatens birds

Irresponsible mink release in Donegal poses serious threat to wildlife

Courtesy of Birdwatch Ireland
October 2010. Ireland's largest conservation NGO, BirdWatch Ireland, is seriously concerned by the recent release of 5,000 mink from a fur farm near Ardara in Donegal, indicating that it could have devastating consequences for wildlife in the area and particularly for already rare ground-nesting birds. Western Donegal contains some of the most threatened bird species in all of Ireland, and indeed is the last Irish refuge for the internationally important Red-throated Diver, of which only 4-8 breeding pairs remain. Ground nesting birds are especially vulnerable to mink predation and their potential increase in numbers as a result of this release poses a particularly serious threat.

Puffin, Manx Shearwater and Storm Petrel threatened

For example, current BirdWatch Ireland conservation projects focussed on breeding waders such as Lapwing and Redshank and seabirds such as Puffin, Manx Shearwater and Storm Petrel have identified predation by mink as a considerable threat in some cases. They are also likely to affect many other native birds and other wildlife, including, for example, important Atlantic Salmon populations. The prompt action of the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) and of angling clubs in the area to catch as many of the escaped mink as possible is commended.

Currently mink densities are highest in the east of Ireland. However this latest release could boost mink numbers in the west and speed up their colonisation. The west of Ireland contains many key sites for nationally and internationally important bird species that are now at real risk from this invasive alien species.

Fur farming
The development of fur farming is the origin of mink in Ireland. American Mink, native to North America, were first recorded in the wild in Ireland during the early 1960's, having been released, accidentally or on purpose, from these fur farms. Peadar O'Connell, Species Policy Officer at BirdWatch Ireland said, "The problem stems from the fact that there are no natural controls, such as predators, food supply or disease, to limit the mink population, allowing it to grow relatively unchecked and filling the niche of a broad spectrum predator able to exploit many food sources and negatively affect native species."

Fur farms to close
Whatever the reasons for the release, allowing a large number of non-native predators into the wild is potentially damaging and should be investigated by the appropriate authorities. The continued existence of fur farming, however, is the root of the problem and the expected closure of such farms in 2012 under the current Programme for Government is long awaited and should help to prevent similar future problems.

Initiatives such as Invasive Species Ireland have worked on identifying methods to tackle the issue of invasive species but there is a lack of a coherent national strategy to deal with incidences such as this release. Alan Lauder, Head of Conservation at BirdWatch Ireland, said, "Incidents like this highlight a fire-fighting approach within Government in relation to invasive species rather than a planned and co-ordinated approach."

Huge cost
Alan Lauder continued, "This may also therefore be a good time to consider the possibility of mink eradication. It has been estimated in a National Parks & Wildlife Service funded project that to remove mink from an 800 km² area would cost roughly €1,062,425 over a five year period. This would need to be scaled up to eradicate mink from the entire country, but considering the funds required to protect our native species, domestic poultry and fish stocks from the threat of predation by American Mink, it would seem a sensible investment. On top of this comes the threat of EU fines if Ireland fails adequately to protect its threatened wildlife, so dealing properly with the problem now makes sound economic sense and represents a substantial long term saving not just for the national exchequer but also for Ireland's unique natural heritage which is important to us all."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/ireland-mink.html

PRINCETON: Weasel or whatever, critter is deceased

RIGHT: Princeton's Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson with the weasel, mink or whatever he captured last weeek. The animal has since died. Staff photo by Kristine Snodgrass.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
8:29 AM EST
By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer

Whatever it was, it was one of the fiercest critters he’d ever picked up, Princeton Borough Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson said.

He received a call Thursday from a resident of Drakes Corner Road, located off Great Road, who reported she had caught an animal she’d never seen in her humane wire trap.

Mr. Johnson managed to get the weasel-like animal into his truck, but not without a struggle, he said.

”It’s one of the nastiest animals I’ve ever dealt with,” he said shortly after its capture Thursday. “I’d rather deal with a pit bull.”

The animal initially was identified as a fisher cat, but the state Division of Fish, Game & Wildlife thinks it could be a mink, Mr. Johnson. Neither species normally is found in central New Jersey though there were reports of fisher cat sightings in Hopewell two years ago.

Fisher cats are known for their bloodcurdling scream, Mr. Johnson said, which can be mistaken for a woman’s cry.

The animal was slated to be tagged and released, but it died in captivity, Mr. Johnson said. Its death has been attributed to stress induced by its capture, but an autopsy will be performed on the animal to determine its cause of death and exact species.

The fisher cat is known to travel up to 60 miles in search of food and normally has a home range of 10 to 20 square miles, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Web site. They are active year round, mostly at night and dusk.

Despite their name, the animals are not related to cats nor do they typically prey on cats or fish. They normally prey on snowshoe hare, porcupines, squirrels and small mammals such as mice and voles.

They typically are found in Alaska, Canada, northern Minnesota, upstate New York, northern New England, in the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, according to the Web site.

The animals have long, slender bodies and short legs like the related species of weasels, martens, minks and otters. Males are twice the size of females, and weigh between four and 12 pounds.

http://centraljersey.com/articles/2009/12/09/the_princeton_packet/news/doc4b1d7da56ef78415048015.txt

(Submitted by Andrew D. Gable)

Researchers seek to learn more about Mink

Wildwood is hosting researchers from Oxford to test equipment to learn more about Mink in the wild.

The team from Oxford University Wildcru (Wildlife Conservation Research Unit), have put a collar on the mink which will record depth and temperature. This will allow future researchers to use the equipment on wild mink to learn more about their movements especially how they dive.

It is hoped that the research will help to see what mink are doing in the wild, by seeing the pattern of activity of the mink over long periods of time. The new data logger is the latest and smallest of its type, and is being tested in a controlled situation at the park.

"The data logger is very clever it measures the temperature and depth of water in which the mink is swimming" commented Joanna Bagniewska, Wildcru researcher "The whole unit is no bigger than a boiled sweet and the collar is very similar to ones used on cats"

This is very important as the mink is one of the major causes of the fall in water vole populations since it escaped in to the British countryside so learning more about how they actually behave in the wild will enable scientists to be able to protect British species like the water vole in the future.

Mink are just one of the huge range of British animals that can be seen at the Wildwood Discovery Park, for more information visit the website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 0871 7820087.

Wildwood is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come 'nose to nose' with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more.

Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury. For more information visit our website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 0871 782008.

American Mink - Neovison

The mink is a medium-sized member of the weasel family. The first American mink were brought to British fur farms in 1929 and all wild mink in Britain today are descendants of escapees. The natural wild colouring is a glossy dark brown, appearing almost black in some light. Commercial farming selectively bred much paler colours, hence most of those in the wild in Britain are a lighter brown. Mink spend up to 80% of their time in their dens, sleeping, grooming and eating food they have carried home. Frequently found near water, they are often mistaken for otters, although mink are in fact considerably smaller.

Mink are a major factor in the decimation of the water vole population, because they are small enough to follow their prey down its burrow.

Size:

Male: length of head/body 42 cm plus tail18 cm.
Female: length of head/body 36 cm plus tail 15 cm

Description:

Elongated body, relatively short legs, limited webbing between the toes, glossy dark brown coat, commonly white fur patches on chin, throat, chest and groin.

Habitat:

May be seen on every kind of waterway, streams, rivers, and canals,but are capable of living away from water provided prey, such as rabbits, small mammals and birds, is available.

Young:

Delayed implantation delays the 30 day gestation period to 39 - 42 days. Kits are born in a den lined with vegetation in April - May. One litter, 4 - 6 young. At 10 weeks they cease to depend on their mother for food. They learn to hunt with their mother. In August they disperse in search of their own territories. Females settle within 5 km of their place of birth, males 10 km May have 2 - 10 dens close to their favourite hunting grounds, usually made in the eroded roots of oaks, sycamores or willows.

Diet:

Rabbits, ducks, water voles, shrews, fish, frogs, crayfish, eels, moorhens, rats, birds and eggs are all taken by the mink.