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American Mink
Neovison vison
57.7865, -152.411
Field Notes
Description:
I was watching it run to the side of the docks, disappear, and then pop up further down the docks. It must have found a way to run on the pipes below the docks or it was swimming rather quickly. I couldn't believe my eyes as I thought there were no minks Kodiak, but I knew it couldn't be an ermine nor was it a pine marten. After asking on a community Facebook page and reading up on some articles I confirmed it was a mink and there is likely a breeding population here now. Hopefully it won't affect the ecosystem too much as it is a native species to Alaska, just not to the island. Minks eat rats, which could be beneficial because rats are a big problem as they can be detrimental to the native animal species as well as a bigger impact on humans here.
Habitat:
Commercial fishing docks.
Notes:
I posted to a community Facebook page and found out that minks have been making more appearances lately. According to the article in the references, "Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist John Crye said the sightings began after he got a call from an individual who was interested in raising and farming the animals." The idea was rejected, but nonetheless the mink sightings started roughly a year later. However, I also read that 24 mink were planted Karluk lake in 1952, which was called unsuccessful in the literature I read. A friend of mine with a good eye for wildlife said he saw one in the early 2000s, so I'm not sure if the mink farm idea is truly to blame or if they have been on the island all this time and only now making their way closer to town.
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