Man finds dead American mink at Heapey Reservoir and takes it home before burying it

The man who wishes to remain anonymous was walking along the Heapey Reservoir when he came across what he originally thought to be a dead cat.

"I went home and thought to myself "was that a cat?"'

Curiosity getting the better of him, he went back for a closer inspection and was shocked at what he found.

"To my surprise it was not a cat but an American mink.

"I decided to take it home with me to examine it thoroughly so then I could 100 percent inform people and make them aware.

"It measured 18 inches long and was a full size male."

Taking the mink home with him, he then contacted the relevant authorities in the hope that they would come and identify and dispose of the mink, but says he was met with no response.

"These are an invasive species and a voracious predator. Being an amphibious carnivore, they will take quite large fish and can decimate waterfowl.

"I have contacted Chorley Borough Council but all they could offer was to put me on to the Canal and River Trust.

"They were very helpful, but the Heapey system does not come under their remit.

"I have emailed Wigan Anglers who I believe own the complex, but have had no reply."

"The mink I had was a beautiful animal but, unfortunately as it was beginning to decompose I had to bury it in the woods."

The American mink (or just 'mink') escaped from fur farms in the 1950s and 1960s, and now breeds across most of the country.

Though cute to look at, it is an active predator, feeding on anything it is big enough to catch, including ground-nesting seabirds and our native water voles, which are now under threat of extinction.

Mink are good swimmers and females are small enough to enter the water-line burrows of water voles and take their young.

They are fiercely territorial; their dens are close to the water and the females have one litter of four to six kittens a year. Mink are much more likely to be seen than the shy and secretive otter.

The Post last reported on a mink sighting in 2017 at Yarrow Valley Country Park snacking on a fish.

Click HERE for guidance on what to do if you come across a dead animal.

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