Mink trapping helps rare water-vole populations recover in the Broads - The Broads Authority
An ongoing project to trap invasive mink in East Anglia has helped to boost the recovery of threatened water voles in the Broads.
The successful partnership project involving volunteers, Waterlife Recovery East and the Broads Authority, which first started trapping mink in 2003, has reported that there is no indication that mink have bred in Norfolk or Suffolk in the last year.
This year, with only seven mink caught in Norfolk and five in Suffolk, the project believes that the species has been nearly eradicated from these counties, with a corresponding increase in the recovery of water voles.
The mink trapping programme started in the Broads in 2003, managed by the then Norfolk Mink Project (now Waterlife Recovery East). It initially focused efforts around the River Wensum and then expanded to the rest of the Broads and Norfolk. Similar mink control was also taking place in Suffolk, led by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. During the first two and a half years, almost 300 mink were trapped on the Wensum alone. Trapping efforts have increased over the past two and a half years, largely due to additional funding from DEFRA and Anglian Water.
There are currently around 340 ‘smart traps’ and traps on floating rafts set in Norfolk. When the trap door shuts in a smart trap it doesn’t harm any animals caught but triggers a text to a volunteer, who inspects the trap and releases anything other than mink back into the wild. After a recent increase in water vole numbers, many mink traps are now fitted with a special excluder, stopping water voles and birds getting in. Caught mink are safely and humanely dispatched by a trained professional or volunteer.
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Posted On: 15/09/2023