Endangered European Mink

The endangered western population of European mink Mustela lutreola has shown a large decline over 50% of its natural range.M. lutreola disappeared from north-western France between 1984 and 1997 and the decline was associated with an increase in mustelid trapping, changes in watercourse quality, and habitat modifications due to agricultural practices. As the European mink is more dependent on wetland habitats than the American species, its decline in Central Europe, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Moldova and Ukraine has been linked to the drainage of small rivers. It is rarely found more than 100 meters away from freshwater.

There are no records of its presence on sea coast. It hunts both in riparian zones and in the water for amphibians, crustaceans (crayfish), fish, small mammals, insects and birds. The decline and extinction of the European Mink cannot be explained with a single universal factor. The main factors operating the extinction have been habitat loss, overexploitation and impact of alien American Mink. Along the upper stream of the Aragón River, a team of Spanish conservation biologists will release 10 or 12 captive-bred European minks (Mustela lutreola) next week. The hope is that they will start a new population and help save the European mink, a critically endangered species from extinction. Protecting the furry, dark-brown carnivore requires killing its main competitor, the American mink (Neovison vison), brought to Europe a century ago by fur farmers; the Spanish team is betting on an elaborate system of floating traps to capture American minks. Elsewhere in Europe, too, reintroduced European minks can only live in such ecological safe spaces. We need to help these Minks because their population is decreasing and in order to save them we have help find a place to live so they wouldn’t have issues of being extinct. Please help these adorable minks from having extinction or become endangered.

References

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14018/45199861

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/357/6352/636

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_mink