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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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 Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:45 am Post subject: |
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| Alyallen wrote: |
| If they are farm raised, they may all die anyway if they don't know how to hunt for food and whatnot. |
Mink are very adaptable. They have very strong instincts especially when they get around water. Mink are semi-aquatic and thus eat mostly fish and what they find in the water. If they can get around rivers and shallow lakes, they'll do just fine. The biggest thing they need to look out for is humans because there's no law against shooting them dead. They were use to seeing humans probably every day so their fear of humans is probably not high enough. |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| Junior wrote: |
The American Mink, Mustela vison, is a North American member of the Mustelidae family found in Alaska, Canada and most of the United States. They are also raised in fur farms for their lustrous fur.
In recent years, animal rights activists have also released several thousands in their attacks on fur farms. Most of these released captive mink quickly died in the wild, preyed on by dogs or run over by cars.
The larger American male will mate with European Mink females earlier in the spring than the males of the same species; the offspring are not born, but the females do not then breed again that season. This has contributed to the decline of the European species. American Mink have also been implicated in the decline of the Water Vole in the United Kingdom and linked to the decline of water fowl across their range in Europe. They are now considered vermin in much of Europe and are hunted for the purpose of wildlife management.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Mink |
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The European Mink, Mustela lutreola, is a European member of the Mustelidae family found in some regions of Spain, France, Romania, Ukraine, Estonia and the greater part of Russia, though not found east of the Ural Mountains. Formerly it extended across all Europe, reaching Finland in the north, but it is now extinct in the major part of its ancient range. It is similar in appearance to the American Mink.
A trend in recent years has been the release of farmed minks into the wild by animal rights activists. The result of the introduction of the American Mink into the wild in Europe has been disastrous for the European Mink, who occupies almost the same ecological niche but is outcompeted by the larger and better-swimming American species.Attempts are now underway to introduce the European Mink to islands too far from the continent for American Mink to swim to, in an attempt to prevent the species from becoming extinct.
It is sometimes possible to distinguish one species from the other based on the fact that the American Mink usually lacks a large white patch on its upper lip, while the European Mink always possesses one. Any mink without such a patch can be identified with certainty as an American Mink, but an individual with such a patch, if encountered in continental Europe, cannot be certainly identified without looking at the skeleton. The European Mink always and the American Mink usually has a white spot on the lower lip, which continues in broken or unbroken fashion to form ventral markings. Since each is a different shape, it is possible to recognize individuals based on these ventral patterns. Fur also grows white over a scar and older mink tend to have more such patches, although absolute age is difficult to quantify without studying the animal from birth. In fur farms, mink are generally slaughtered after eight months, but can live several years in the wild (although mortality is high, especially among dispersing juveniles). Female European Mink are roughly 1.3 lb (600 g) and males roughly 2 lb (900 g); female American Mink are roughly 2 lb (900 g) and male American Mink roughly 3.5 lb (1,600 g), although weight can vary considerably. In general, since male American Mink continue to grow into the winter but females do not, sexual dimorphism is lower in that species as environmental conditions become more hostile.
The endangered populations of European mink Mustela lutreola have shown a large decline over 80% of their natural range and the species may be regarded as one of the most endangered mammals in the world. Although natural hybridization events between two native species is regarded as an exceptional event, the professor Thierry Lod� found some hybrids, emphasizing that European mink and European polecats are able to hybridize and their hybrids were fertile. |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Mink
 European Mink
 American Mink |
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Alyallen
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Location: The 4th Greatest Place on Earth = Jeonju!!!
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Vicissitude wrote: |
| Alyallen wrote: |
| If they are farm raised, they may all die anyway if they don't know how to hunt for food and whatnot. |
Mink are very adaptable. They have very strong instincts especially when they get around water. Mink are semi-aquatic and thus eat mostly fish and what they find in the water. If they can get around rivers and shallow lakes, they'll do just fine. The biggest thing they need to look out for is humans because there's no law against shooting them dead. They were use to seeing humans probably every day so their fear of humans is probably not high enough. |
So let me get this straight.
They are considered vermin because they are in the wrong ecosystem. Released by environmentalists no less 
They are linked to the decline of several other species.
They become roadkill or dinner for dogs
People have to shoot them because they are so unhealthy for the environment.
And somehow I should rejoice over the fact the little fuckers are adaptable?
Thank Goodness they aren't fearful of Humans....Makes it easier to shoot them. |
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deadman
Joined: 27 May 2006
Location: Suwon
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd say this is an example of hacking at the branches, not the root, of what they see as evil. |
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Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| deadman wrote: |
| I'd say this is an example of hacking at the branches, not the root, of what they see as evil. |
The initial evil is to have transplanted minks out of their natural range and into a range where they do not belong. Where they are wreacking havoc on the native variety of wildlife in that area. Its no different to people introducing rats onto isolated islands or cane toads into australia.
I'd be quite ok with it if the american mink could interbreed and produce viable offspring with the european mink. they would create a sustainable new "hybrid" speces of mink, that would then find a new niche.
Apparently someone has found a few hybrids. But they are rare, its not the norm.They are genetically too separate. They can impregnate the european mink, but the offspring are not viable, do not get as far as being born. Thus the european mink are vanishing, biodiversity is reducing in the new globalised ecosystem. Pure american mink populations are establishing themselves, by wiping out native european species. Yes they are succesful and adaptable, but in the long term, it is the european mink that was perfectly atuned to living in europe, without damaging its ecosystem.
the fur trade is cruel and nobody needs to have a mink coat, its just vanity. This is where I agree iwth the animal rights activists. However they are too stupid and emotional to know that by releasing thousands of exotic minks, they are causing great suffering and damage to native wildlife. So who is being "cruel" here? |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Alyallen wrote: |
| Vicissitude wrote: |
| Alyallen wrote: |
| If they are farm raised, they may all die anyway if they don't know how to hunt for food and whatnot. |
Mink are very adaptable. They have very strong instincts especially when they get around water. Mink are semi-aquatic and thus eat mostly fish and what they find in the water. If they can get around rivers and shallow lakes, they'll do just fine. The biggest thing they need to look out for is humans because there's no law against shooting them dead. They were use to seeing humans probably every day so their fear of humans is probably not high enough. |
People have to shoot them because they are so unhealthy for the environment.
And somehow I should rejoice over the fact the little *beep* are adaptable?
Thank Goodness they aren't fearful of Humans....Makes it easier to shoot them. |
Because they look so very similar to the European Mink, they too can be shot out of mistaken identity. As for the ones that die, they may be eaten by owls, fox and other creatures that compete for food due to their habitat being distroyed by HUMANS. Yes humans are a much bigger threat to these endangered species. |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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| deadman wrote: |
| I'd say this is an example of hacking at the branches, not the root, of what they see as evil. |
Acutally, the goal is to put the fur farmers out of business, so yes I think they were getting right at the root. |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Alyallen wrote: |
So let me get this straight.
They are considered vermin because they are in the wrong ecosystem. Released by environmentalists no less |
Wrong, the minks were released by Animal Liberation Activists, not environmentalists. There's a big difference. |
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Vicissitude
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