Farmed mink are
bred in a variety
of colours for the
fur market.
Mink oil is used
in various hair
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and skin produc
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FARMED FUR
FAIL
Is it a ferret? Senseational. Mink rely
mainly on their nose for hunting.
Following a scent trail, they readily
head down burrows to find prey. Mink
also listen for the ultrasonic squeaks
made by rodents – much too high-pitched
for human ears to hear! They cannot see
very well underwater, so they tend to
locate prey from above before
diving in to make a catch.
Is it an otter? No, it’s a mink!
Wordy
weasels.
Mink make a number of
different sounds, including
chuckles, growls, barks,
hisses, purrs, squeals
and screeches.
Make a stink.
Mink are related to skunks. They
have special glands under their tail
that release a smelly liquid to mark
their territory. They also release the
musk when they feel threatened.
Unlike skunks, mink cannot aim
their spray – or spray very far,
for that matter.
Meat
eaters. Mink are
carnivores – and not very picky
ones at that! They make meals
of other animals such as muskrats,
frogs, birds, mice, fish, rabbits,
snakes and crayfish. They tend to
kill more than they can eat in
one sitting, storing the rest
for later.
Look up! At
home on land as well
as in the water, mink are
agile tree climbers. They
can even jump from tree
to tree.
On the go.
Constantly on the lookout for
food, mink are extremely active
animals. They usually hunt after dark.
They digest food quickly, so they eat a
lot of small meals – as many as 10 a day.
Their slender shape also means they lose
body heat fairly easily. Eating more
often gives them energy to
keep warm.
Bark!
Mink are such secretive animals, it’s no wonder
many British Columbians have no idea what
they’re looking at when they see one for the first
time.
6
Thick fur, small, round ears, short legs and a
long, tube-shaped body provide some clues,
however. Mink belong to the weasel family,
Mink on farms never
get the chance to hunt.
Instead, they are fed
a paste-like mixture
spooned onto the top of
their cage. They eat
the slop through the
wire bars.
Born to
swim. Thanks
to partially webbed feet, a
streamlined body and water-resistant
fur, mink are excellent swimmers. In
fact, they are hardly ever found far
from water. Mink can swim in both
freshwater and saltwater. They live
near streams, rivers, marshes,
ponds, lakes and even the
ocean.
Family
time. Baby mink, called
kits, are born in the spring or
summer with their eyes and ears closed.
They grow rapidly. By about eight weeks
of age, they are accompanying their mother
on foraging trips. In the fall, when they are
about seven months old, they leave their
family to establish their own territory.
Mink are generally solitary as
adults, meaning they do not
live in groups.
Mink have long been valued by
people for their amazingly thick,
soft coat. While some mink are trapped in the wild for their fur,
most mink fur comes from animals raised in cages on farms.
Last year, nearly three million mink were farmed – and killed – for their fur in Canada. Fur
farming is happening right here in British Columbia, too. All of
the mink farms in the province are found in the Fraser Valley.
Although mink have been kept on farms for more than a
century in Canada, they are still very similar to wild mink.
They are motivated to perform many of the same behaviours –
swimming, climbing, hunting, exploring and patrolling.
Sadly, on fur farms, mink live extremely restricted lives. They
are housed in open-sided sheds with wire cages hung inside.
The cages are roughly a foot wide, a little under three feet
long and just over a foot high. Mink may have a platform to
rest on, a nest box to hide in and a ball or rope to play with,
but, other than that, the cage is empty. Beyond
waiting to be fed, there is nothing for mink to
look forward to in a day.
As a result, many mink develop stereotypies
(stare-ee-oh-tip-ease). Stereotypies are
unusual behaviours performed over and
over again, like pacing, tail chewing or head
nodding. Some animals spend more than
five hours a day repeating the same, single
pattern!
Clearly, mink kept on fur
farms are suffering. Take a
stand! Just say no to products made from
mink fur or oil.
Aggression between
kits is common as
they grow and fight
for space in their
tiny cage.
Clothes can be made entirely
from mink fur or just have
fur trim.
Home, sweet
home. Mink have home
along with otters, fishers, martens, badgers and
wolverines. They have a reputation for being wily
and vicious. But, just like their relatives, mink
are smart, curious and playful animals who
perform an important role in the ecosystem.
So, should you ever spot one in the wild,
consider yourself lucky!
ranges – areas they travel through
often and are very familiar with. They
defend them against other mink. When
not out foraging, they are resting in a
den. Mink den in old muskrat burrows,
hollow trees, logs and stumps, rock
crevices and abandoned beaver
lodges.
Born in spring,
m
in the fall. Som ost kits are killed
e are kept behi
breeders for th
nd as
e ne
mink can suffer xt year. Breeding
fo
years before th r as long as five
ey, too, are ki
lled.
TOP TWO MINK PHOTOGRAPHS BY JESPER
CLAUSEN.
BOTTOM TWO MINK PHOTOGRAPHS BY JO-ANNE
MCARTHUR/WE ANIMALS.
LEAD PHOTO, LEFT, BY FRANK LEUNG/iSTOCK.