Picking up a stink... how mink-scented golf balls help trap American invaders
VORACIOUS predators, wily American mink have posed a serious threat to native Scottish species ever since they escaped from fur farms and bred in the wild.
Now, however, intrepid trappers have deployed an unexpected new weapon in the war against the invaders – plastic golf balls.
Ten mink have been captured by the novel technique, which uses practice golf balls infused with an irresistible scent extracted from the creatures’ glands. The trappers daubed the scent on cigarette filters and ‘posted’ them through the holes in the plastic balls, then hung the balls in traps.
Although designed for golfing practice, the plastic balls are perfect for keeping the source of the scent secure while also leaving it open to the air.
The inquisitive mink are lured into the trap and collected before being humanely dispatched.
The non-native creatures have had a devastating impact on Scottish species including water voles, and they threaten ground-nesting birds such as moorhens, lapwings and curlews.
Callum Sinclair, project manager with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, said: ‘We’ve got a great deal to thank the golfing fraternity for. We’ve used scent before. What’s new about it is the hanging of scent in a little golf ball – you could call it a mink potpourri bag.
‘At this particular time of year, when animals are looking for breeding territories, the scent is quite attractive.’
American mink are widespread across the UK, with the exception of the far North of Scotland and some Scottish islands.
The golf ball is the latest method to be added to the others used by staff and volunteers. Some swear by foil milk bottle tops or a mirror in the cage, or other lures such as fish or cat food.
‘Smart’ traps can also be used, whereby the trap door closing sends a message to responders telling them which trap to check.
Some 60 loaded golf balls are out in Speyside, Tayside, Deeside, Deveron, Findhorn, Nairn and Lossiemouth. The project aims not for eradication but to depress mink numbers to allow other species to recover.
‘Scent is attractive in breeding season’