[Right: Otter & Mink Tracks (Fore and Hind)]
The situation before the otter became a protected animal in 1978 in England and Wales was thus;
[Right: Otter & Mink Tracks (Fore and Hind)]
The situation before the otter became a protected animal in 1978 in England and Wales was thus;
No of packs in England, Scotland and Wales: 17
(9 being hunt clubs)
Ireland: 3
(NB Otter hunting was banned in Ireland in 1990).
However mosts hunts who were previously active have turned their attentions to mink. The situation now stands:
Mink hunts in England and Wales : 17 and 20 + unregistered
Ireland : 2
In 1980, the mink packs were recognised by the British Field Sports Society, and they formed their own association. Mink packs which were formerly otter hunts tend to have more otter hounds in their packs, and like to hunt at their traditional meets. Many have radically changed their names, for example the Bucks and Courtney Tracy Otterhounds are now the Yetne Minkhounds. New packs tend to have Foxhound or Foxhound crosses.
Mink hunting attracts the same variety of followers and also small children, as well as the same type of heavy. Many of the followers carry otterpoles (5 - 6 foot long staves) on which kills are tallied by means of notches. These staves were once used to form "stickles", but we are told that this practice no longer occurs and these poles are merely used as glorified walking sticks for use in wading across rivers, climbing banks and stabbing around in the roots of river-side trees in the hope of disturbing the hunted animal.
Minkhounds are very prone to rioting after ducks, moorhens and swans - in fact any animal or bird that pops up under their noses. Most packs, however, hunt as much by sight - human and hound - as by scent. When a mink is sighted by a follower a holloa is given as in other forms of hunting.
Mink do not swim as well as otters, tending when hunted to run along the river bank, being small they frequently seek sanctuary in holes or beneath over hanging trees. Being good climbers they often attempt to escape up trees. Small and agile mink can often go straight through a pack of hounds and still escape. Mink hunting then, in full swing in many ways resembles a glorified rat hunt, the whole hunt going up and down river in a small area chasing the mink from one refuge to another, digging it out of river-bank holes with shovels and terriers and shaking it out of tree branches.
Humane killers are rarely used, the mink being killed either with spades, by being drowned , by the hounds or by the terriers. Hunters have no respect for the mink and do not care how its end comes providing no bad publicity comes of it.
Mink bred during the summer and the hunt will, if they find them, feed the entire litter of young mink to the pack. If a bitch mink with young is killed and the litter escapes detection they often starve to death. The young ones are dependant on their mother for at least six weeks after birth.
A mink hunt meets at around 11.00 am and may end at dusk. A good pack may kill several mink in a day.
Otter hunts which have changed to mink will usually keep to their traditional meets, so try to obtain any old meet cards or hunting reports. As most do not advertise it may be necessary to follow them from kennels and to be familiar with the hound van and supporters car numbers.
If the hunt knows sabs are around, it may try and give sabs the slip. In such cases, always follow the hound van, not the supporters. If in doubt head upstream. If upstream of the hunt, remember that hounds will be looking for a scent on top of the water. Try spraying leaves, branches twigs etc., with scent dullers and floating them downstream. Sprayed sticks and stones can be thrown across the river - ahead of, not at, the hunters - if you are caught on the wrong side of the river from the hunt.
Be prepared to get wet. The hunters will wade into rivers - so sabs must, if necessary, take spare shoes and socks. Don't wear wellies or waders - you could be in trouble if they get full of water.
Registered mink hunts should not disturb otters, but do not be fooled by the argument that they no longer hunt otters, they will. Local conservation groups, water authorities, river keepers and landowners may be able to advise on the whereabouts of otters. A mink hunt should not meet within four miles of known otter habitat. If this is ignored, try to implement a ban by approaching the river owners and explaining the situation. Apart from killing mink and otter, hounds have been known to kill moorhens, swans and other river wildlife. The disturbance factor is also particularly damaging, as river banks provide miniature sanctuaries for flora and fauna.
Ideally only one or two people should be involved in pre-meeting to keep disturbance down to a minimum.
It should be noted that it is useless to follow a mink hunt unless you are actively preventing them from making progress along the river bank, merely trailing them in case they pick up a scent is adding a disturbance factor.
The best method to sabotage a mink hunt is to swamp the hunt with sabs, this prevents hunting altogether. It also minimises disturbance to a fragile environment packed full of breeding wildlife since neither hunt nor sabs will need to proceed along the river bank.
A mink hunt killing an otter in Britain would presumably be open to prosecution, though this would be of little benefit to the otter involved.
