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Mink

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For other uses, seeMink (disambiguation).

Mink
American mink (Neogale vison)
American mink
(Neogale vison)
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Mustelinae
Species included
European mink
(Mustela lutreola)

Minkare dark-colored,semiaquatic,carnivorousmammalsof thegeneraNeogaleandMustelaand part of the familyMustelidae,which also includesweasels,otters,andferrets.There are two extant species referred to as "mink": theAmerican minkand theEuropean mink.The extinctsea minkwas related to the American mink but was much larger.

TheAmerican mink's furhas been highly prized for use in clothing. Their treatment on fur farms has been a focus ofanimal rightsandanimal welfare[1]activism.American mink have established populations in Europe (including Great Britain and Denmark) and South America. Some people believe this happened after the animals were released from mink farms by animal rights activists, or otherwise escaped from captivity.[2][3]In the UK, under theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981,it is illegal to release mink into the wild.[4]In some countries, any live mink caught in traps must be humanely killed.[5]

American mink are believed by some to have contributed to the decline of the less hardy European mink through competition (though not through hybridization—native European mink are in fact more closely related topolecatsthan to North American mink).[6]Trapping is used to control or eliminate introduced American mink populations.[7]

Mink oilis used in some medical products and cosmetics, as well as to treat, preserve, and waterproof leather.

Species

The American mink (Neogale vison) is larger and more adaptable than the European mink (Mustela lutreola) but, due to variations in size, an individual mink usually cannot be determined as European or American with certainty without looking at the skeleton. However, all European mink have a large white patch on their upper lip, whereas only some American mink have this marking. Therefore, any mink without the patch is certainly of the American species. Taxonomically, both American and European mink were placed in the samegenusMustelabut the American mink was reclassified as belonging to its own genus,Neovison,though it has recently been reclassified alongside several other weasels into the genusNeogale.[8][9]

Thesea mink(Neogale macrodon), native to theNew Englandarea, is considered to be a close relative of the American mink. Its extinction in the late 19th century, was chiefly result of hunting for the fur trade.

Description

A wild male mink weighs about 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) and is about60 cm (23+1⁄2in) in length. Farm-bred males can reach 3.2 kg (7 lb 1 oz). The female weighs about 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) and reaches a length of about50 cm (19+1⁄2in). The sizes above do not include the tail, which can be from12.8 to 22.8 cm (5+1⁄16to 9 in).

Minkfur stole

A mink's rich glossy coat in its wild state is brown and looks silky. Farm-bred mink can vary from white to almost black, which is reflected in the British wild mink. Their pelage is deep, rich brown, with or without white spots on the underparts, and consists of a slick, dense underfur overlaid with dark, glossy, almost stiff guard hairs.

Mink show the curious phenomenon of delayed implantation. Although the true gestation period is 39 days, the embryo may stop developing for a variable period, so that as long as 76 days may elapse before the litter arrives. Between 45 and 52 days is normal. There is only one litter per year. They typically have between six and 10 kits per litter. Litters as large as 16 have been recorded at fur farms.

The maximum lifespan of a mink is usually around ten years, but rarely exceeds three years in the wild.[10]

Diet

Mink eating acrayfish

Mink prey on fish and other aquatic life, small mammals, birds, and eggs; adults may eat young mink.[11]Mink raised on farms primarily eat expired cheese, eggs, fish, meat and poultry slaughterhouse byproducts, dog food, and turkey livers, as well as prepared commercial foods.[12]A farm with 3,000 mink may use as much as two tons of food per day.[13][14]

Habitats

Mink like to live near water and are seldom found far from riverbanks, lakes, and marshes. Even when roaming, they tend to follow streams and ditches. Sometimes they leave the water altogether for a few hundred meters, especially when looking for rabbits, one of their favourite foods. In some places, particularly in Scotland and in Iceland, they live along the seashore. Sometimes they live in towns if suitable water is available. Mink may be present at all hours, even when people are nearby.[citation needed]

Territory

Mink areterritorialanimals. A male mink will not tolerate another male within his territory but appears to be less aggressive towards females. Generally, the territories of both male and female animals are separate, but a female's territory may sometimes overlap with that of a male.[15]

Mink at water's edge,Kenai National Wildlife Refuge,Alaska

The territories, which tend to be long and narrow, stretch along river banks, or around the edges of lakes or marshes. Territory sizes vary, but they can be several miles long. Female territories are smaller than those of males.

Each territory has one or two central areas (core areas) where the mink spends most of its time. The core area is usually associated with a good food supply, such as a pool rich in fish, or a good rabbit warren. The mink may stay in its core area, which can be quite small, for several days at a time, but it also makes excursions to the ends of its territory. These excursions seem to be associated with the defense of the territory against intruders. The mink likely checks for any signs of a stranger mink and leaves droppings (scat) redolent of its personal scent to reinforce its territorial rights.

Human uses

Farming

TheAmerican mink's furhas been highly prized for use inclothing,withhuntinggiving way tofarming.Their treatment on fur farms has been a focus ofanimal rightsandanimal welfareactivism.[1]American mink have established populations in Europe (including Great Britain) and South America, after being released from mink farms by animal rights activists, or otherwise escaping from captivity.[2]In the UK, under theWildlife & Countryside Act 1981,it is illegal to release mink into the wild.[16]In some countries, any live mink caught in traps must be humanely killed.[5]

In February 2022, the US House of Representatives passed a ban on commercial mink farming following the global SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on mink farms, however it did not pass in the Senate so did not become law.[17]The ban was attempted to be enacted in an effort to protect public health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mink farms pose the risk of producing SARS-CoV-2 variants that could be transmitted to humans. The cramped living conditions along with the high volume of immunosuppressed mink inhabiting the farms creates a highly hospitable environment for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[18]There have been approximately 6.1 million mink infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with three variants traced back to farms in the U.S, France, and Denmark.[17]

Ireland

There are three mink farms in Ireland, in Donegal, Kerry, and Laois. Mink farming was introduced into the country by two veterinarians. Three thousand mink were released by campaigners into the wild from a farm in the 1960s. It is estimated that there are 33,500 wild mink in Ireland.[19]

TheIrish Department of Agriculturestated in November 2020 saying that theDepartment of Healthhad advised, following the detection of coronavirus among animals on a Danish mink farm, that the roughly 120,000 farmed Irish mink should be culled. Mink farming was already due to be discontinued under the 2020 Programme for Government but the coronavirus risk had expedited the closure of the industry.[20]

Denmark

Main article:Mink industry in Denmark

Health concerns

Main article:SARS-CoV-2 in mink

Mink are among theanimals that can be infected with SARS-CoV-2and that are also known to spread infections among themselves and to humans.[21]Transmission of theSARS-CoV-2virus from mink to humans was first documented in the Netherlands by way of genetic tracing, which prompted the government to bring forward to the end of 2020 a ban on mink farming scheduled to come into effect in 2024.[22]TheUnited States Department of Agricultureconfirmed that cases of minks infected withCOVID-19had been documented in Utah in August 2020.[23]

In November 2020, Denmark, then the world's largest producer of mink fur,slaughtered its entire mink populationof 15 to 17 million animals to stop the spread ofCluster 5,a mutated strain of the virus, which has been linked to the animals and resulted in the infection of 12 humans with the mutated variant.[24][25]The decision was later deemed to have been illegal, although the law was later changed in support of the action.[26][27]Infections within mink were also deemed ancestral to ahighly mutated SARS-CoV-2 strainfound in Canadianwhite-tailed deerwhich subsequently spilled back into humans.[28][29]

Similar to their role of a viral incubator in theCOVID-19 pandemic,in October 2022, mink at a farm in Spain became the first observed case ofmammal-to-mammal[broken anchor]transmission ofInfluenza A virus subtype H5N1,an avian flu which had only previouslyjumped to mammalsupon close contact or consumption or infected birds. The infected mink in Spain exhibited multiple new mutations when compared to viral sequences obtained from infected birds, one of which helps H5N1 to better replicate within mammals.[30]

Stereotypy

On farms, minks are placed inbattery cages,a type of soft, metal wire cage that restricts their ability to move. This often results in a condition referred to asstereotypies,an abnormal behavior. These abnormal, repetitive behaviours are a result of keeping them imprisoned, and is similar to the deterioration of mental health in humans.[31]Stereotypies have also been noted to increase during human presence.[31]

To attempt to eliminate stereotypies in captive mink, the Canadian National Farm Animal Care Council has implemented regulations on incorporatingenvironmental enrichmentsinto mink cages. Enrichments are pen-related alterations or the addition of novel objects to improve the mink's physical and psychological health.[32]Enrichments may help reduce the onset of stereotypies, but rarely decrease or eliminate them entirely.[33]Leaving minks alone plays a large role in the prevention of stereotypies, and the animals' well-being.[34]

References

  1. ^ab"Dutch minister reverses battery and mink ban. (Netherlands).(Defeat f…".29 January 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2009.
  2. ^ab"Animal rights group claims responsibility for mink release".BBC News.9 August 1998.
  3. ^"Mink in Britain | Learn about American Mink in the UK – Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust".www.gwct.org.uk.Retrieved20 April2021.
  4. ^"Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981".Legislation.gov.uk.Retrieved28 February2017.
  5. ^ab"Dispatching a live-caught mink - Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust".Gwct.org.uk.Retrieved28 February2017.
  6. ^Lodé, T.; Guiral, G.; Peltier, D. (2005)."European mink-polecat hybridisation events: hazards from natural process?".Journal of Heredity.96(2): 1–8.doi:10.1093/jhered/esi021.PMID15653561.
  7. ^Haworth, Jenny (3 February 2009) "National cull may exterminate UK mink". Edinburgh.The Scotsman.
  8. ^"ITIS Standard Report - Error".27 September 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2006.
  9. ^Patterson, Bruce D.; Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E.; Vilela, Júlio F.; Soares, André E. R.; Grewe, Felix (2021)."On the nomenclature of the American clade of weasels (Carnivora: Mustelidae)".Journal of Animal Diversity.3(2): 1–8.doi:10.52547/JAD.2021.3.2.1.ISSN2676-685X.S2CID236299740.
  10. ^Schlimme, Kurt."ADW: Neovison vison: INFORMATION".Animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu.Retrieved28 February2017.
  11. ^Burns, John (2008). "Mink,"Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
  12. ^"Commodity, Mink"(PDF).British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.January 2004. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 11 June 2011.
  13. ^Helgeson, Baird."Despite Controversy, Fur Farming Rather Mundane".Fur Commission USA.Archived fromthe originalon 18 June 2002.
  14. ^"Fur farming in the United States"(PDF).Fur Commission USA.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 March 2003.
  15. ^Zabala, Jabi; Zuberogoitia, Iñigo; Martínez-Climent, José Antonio (2007)."Spacing pattern, intersexual competition and niche segregation in American mink".Annales Zoologici Fennici.44(4). Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board: 249–258.ISSN0003-455X.JSTOR23736769.Retrieved2 December2021.
  16. ^"Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981".Legislation.gov.uk.Retrieved28 February2017.
  17. ^ab"U.S. House Passes Sweeping Ban on Mink Farming Citing Cruelty and Contagion Risks: Legislation comes after hundreds of mink farms experience SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks".NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel.4 February 2022.ProQuest2625297627.Retrieved23 February2023.
  18. ^Chua, Jasmine (20 July 2021)."Mackage Owner Gives Fur the Boot".Sourcing Journal (Online).ProQuest2553397514– via Proquest.
  19. ^Calls for Irish minks to be culled amid Covid-19 concernsIrish Independent, 2020-11-10.
  20. ^Ireland’s mink population to be culled amid Covid-19 fearsIrish Independent, 2020-11-19.
  21. ^Huang, Pien."Dutch Minks Contract COVID-19 – And Appear To Infect Humans".All Things Considered.No. 25 June 2020. National Public Radio, Inc.Retrieved3 October2020.
  22. ^"Not fur sale: COVID-19 brings Dutch mink farming to an end".The Economist.No. 5-11 September 2020. The Economist Newspaper Limited.
  23. ^Cahan, Eli (18 August 2020)."COVID-19 hits U.S. mink farms after ripping through Europe".Science.American Association for the Advancement of Science.Retrieved3 October2020.
  24. ^"Denmark to cull up to 17 million mink amid coronavirus fears".5 November 2020.Retrieved7 November2020.
  25. ^"SARS-CoV-2 mink-associated variant strain – Denmark".Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2020.Retrieved9 November2020.
  26. ^"Denmark's mass mink cull illegal, PM admits as opposition mounts".The Guardian.Retrieved10 November2020.
  27. ^Faure, Yann."Mounting evidence suggests mink farms in China could be the cradle of Covid-19".Reporterre.Retrieved14 January2021.
  28. ^Goodman, Brenda (2 March 2022)."A highly changed coronavirus variant was found in deer after nearly a year in hiding, researchers suggest".CNN. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2022.Retrieved26 March2022.
  29. ^Mallapaty, Smriti (26 April 2022)."COVID is spreading in deer. What does that mean for the pandemic?".Nature. Archived fromthe originalon 26 April 2022.Retrieved26 April2022.
  30. ^Anthes, Emily (8 February 2023)."Bird Flu Outbreak Puts Mink Farms Back in the Spotlight".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2023.Retrieved8 February2023.
  31. ^abMason, G. (1991). "Stereotypies in caged mink".Applied Animal Behaviour Science.30(1–2): 179–180.doi:10.1016/0168-1591(91)90103-5.
  32. ^"Code of practice for the care and handling of farmed mink".National Farm Animal Care Council.Archived fromthe originalon 5 April 2018.
  33. ^Finely, G.; Mason, G.; Pajor, E.; Rouvinen, K.; Rankin K. (2012). "Code of practice for the care and safe handling of mink: review".NFACC.
  34. ^Mononen; et al. (2012). "The development of on farm welfare assessment protocols for fox and mink: the WelFur project".Animal Welfare.21(3): 363–371.doi:10.7120/09627286.21.3.363.S2CID71246314.
Wikispecieshas information related toNeovison.
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