Government investigating possible mink escape on northeast coast

The provincial government is investigating whether mink have been escaping from fur farms in the Bonavista Bay area.

Farmers in the Portland area say the minks are preying on livestock while pet owners are concerned their animals could be attacked.

"Reports are showing larger than normal congregations of mink in that area, so one would make the assumption that they would have come from one of the farms in that area," said Vaughn Granter, minister responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods agency.

The government is now bringing in trappers to live trap the animals after which they will run DNA tests on the captured mink to determine where they came from.

Granter said staff will also be investigating the mink farms to see how the mink could have escaped.

"We have some of the most stringent and strongest regulation with regards to mink farming in the entire country," he said.

"Minks are bred in cages, these cages are in sheds or enclosed facilities, and these enclosed facilities are surrounded by a fenced area. But that doesn't always prevent a mink or a number of mink from escaping."

Granter said he has asked for more frequent inspections of mink farms in the future.

There are two mink farms in the region and 15 mink farms across the province. According to Granter, the industry employs roughly 250 people and brings in $20 million annually.

Anyone who sees a mink should report it to the Forestry and Agrifoods agency. Granter said escaped mink should not pose a threat to the wild mink population.