Examine the decline of the European mink
Learn about threats faced by the European mink (Mustela lutreola) while watching a female provide food for her young.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
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Transcript
A forest stream in Northern Russia - a female mink is out hunting. She is looking for fish and small crustaceans. Back in the den, her young pups are just five weeks old. They still depend on their mother for food and eagerly await her return.
She has caught a fish and with one quick bite immobilizes and stashes it for later. A hundred years ago, the European mink was found throughout the continent. But then it was trapped commerically on a wide scale for its thick fur, leading to a dramatic decline in numbers. In Russia alone, up to 60,000 animals were killed every year. Today the European mink is only found in a few remaining pockets, and even here, it faces stiff competition from its larger introduced cousin, the American mink.
She has caught a fish and with one quick bite immobilizes and stashes it for later. A hundred years ago, the European mink was found throughout the continent. But then it was trapped commerically on a wide scale for its thick fur, leading to a dramatic decline in numbers. In Russia alone, up to 60,000 animals were killed every year. Today the European mink is only found in a few remaining pockets, and even here, it faces stiff competition from its larger introduced cousin, the American mink.