SEVERAL new sightings of an unwanted transatlantic invader have been made in East Lancashire.
American mink have been spotted in, and around, the River Calder by the Lancashire Invasive Species Projects in recent weeks.
The observations have been made by sharp-eyed members of the public near Syke Side Brook, as part of the Ribble River Trust’s initiative to curb the activities of non-native species. Previous recorded sightings have been made a few hundred yards either side of the minks’ latest known hideouts.
Environmentalists are particularly concerned about the prevalence of mink as they are an avid predator of a variety of small mammals and birds.
The same project is also on the lookout for outbreaks of giant hogweed, Himalyan balsam, and Japanese knotweed, all of which can be problematic for local eco-systems.
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