Have you seen a mink?

We want to see the return of water voles to Knapdale, as beavers create the perfect messy, multi-layered wetlands favoured by these mini-ecosystem engineers. However, North American mink are a major predator of water voles, ground-nesting birds and salmon parr. An invasive non-native species, brought to the UK for fur farming in the 1950s, many escaped from the early farms and, being wild-caught stock, swiftly spread across the country. The predation reactions of many species targeted by mink are either ineffective or make their elimination more likely.

We are currently testing a community-based mink reduction programme that will be enlarged beyond the feasibility area as funding and resources become available.  We aim to  dramatically reduce mink numbers in the control area and create a buffer zone around it to enable monitoring of future incursions.

We need your help! . Please use our mink reporting form available here to record any sightings in Mid Argyll to help us effectively target our resources and create the conditions for a return of the iconic water voles.