ONE of Scotland's "most invasive" animals were spotted in Dalmuir over the weekend.
A mink was seen in the Forth and Clyde Canal by local resident Karl Byrne while out on one of his daily walks.
Mr Byrne said it was the first time he had seen the animal in this area.
He said: “I went a walk with the kids down by the canal near Farm Road and I always have the kids look out for wildlife.
“I saw something in the water and it looked like an otter. I managed to watch it catch a fish.
"It’s definitely a change from the usual scenery of trolleys and ladders. It was a bit unusual to see it in the canal.
"I’ve seen all different kinds of birds including herons and moorhens, but never that.”
The American mink was brought to the UK in 1929 to establish fur farms. Since then there have reportedly been many escapes.
The semi-aquatic animals are now widespread across Scotland with the exception of the far north of the country and some of the islands.
Minks are predators and eat birds and their eggs, small mammals, fish, amphibians, shellfish, and crustaceans.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel