The European mink took root in Kunashir

The press service of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve reported that this year, during winter route surveys, new data were obtained confirming the existence of a European mink on Kunashir Island. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the animal is thoroughly entrenched in the territory.

The European mink was proposed to settle on Kunashir and Iturup in the last quarter of the last century. At that time, the topic of animal introduction caused serious disputes between scientists, animal breeders and hunters. In the mid-80s, 254 individuals were released on Iturup, and 134 animals were settled on Kunashir in 1981, 1984 and 1985.

For a long time, experts have not recorded a high number of this species in Kunashir. Most often, the animal was found in the places of the initial releases. High and rapid summer floods had a negative impact on the population.

It was only in 2014 that the first reliable information about meetings with the European mink appeared. Since 2016, she began to get caught in the lenses of camera traps on Kunashir. It was these photographs, as well as carefully conducted winter route surveys, that became the actual evidence of the habitat of this species on the island.

Last year, five sightings of the European mink were recorded, this year - two. The animal was regularly observed in different parts of the island on small rivers and streams. The staff of the reserve plans to continue studying the distribution of the population of this species in Kunashir.