Report from Chris Smith
It's Money the Minks
£6000 to catch each one
By Mike Merritt in the Daily Record 11 th May 2004
DOZENS of trappers on a drive to wipe out mink in Scotland managed to
snare just 23 animals.
Hundreds of baited cages, backed up by sniffer dogs, were used in the
£137,7000 sweep in the Outer Hebrides.
It meant taxpayers shelled out £6000 to catch each mink. That's more
than a full-length coat made from the fur.
However, the project which started in January was praised by Scottish
National Heritage, who help fund the scheme.
Mink which escaped from fur farms in the late 1950s and early 1960s
have gone on to breed and devastate seabird colonies in the Uists and
Harris.
An SNH spokeswoman said: 'The scheme is about eradicating them
regardless of their numbers. We just don't believe there are that many
left.' New figures show 445 mink have been killed since the
£1.65million project began two years ago.
A push in March using trappers and 500 cages snared just five females.
But the trappers are still chasing one elusive male, which they fear
could mate with several females.
Now experts believe mink numbers have been overestimated.
Project manager Dr Sugoto Roy believes there could be just 4000 in the
Western Isles - a quarter of what was originally thought.
© Daily Record, 11 th May 2004
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