Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

EAST Lancashire is one of the few areas of Britain where otters can still be seen - and very welcome they are too.

Unfortunately, we also have many more mink and this mammal is far from welcome.

Why should it be that the otter is a saint while the mink is a sinner?

To be cynical, I think it is because the otter is now very very rare and because it is rare we think it is beautiful. It is one of the most attractive animals in the world and I love it when I am lucky enough to see one along the River Ribble.

The last occasion was on Friday on a stretch of the river between Sawley and Gisburn.

Otters are shy creatures and we are thrilled to see them but the fact is that they do eat fish.

As far as I'm concerned good luck to them but what would some people say if they became very common?

I know the answer.

They would say that they were ugly, dangerous and would have to be controlled.

This is what is happening to the sparrowhawk which 15 years ago was rare and beautiful.

Now it is common and becoming more ugly by the year.

How beautiful do you think the magpie would be if there were only a few left?

Mink are really very cute creatures but they are very common now.

Indeed, most scientists think they they are now so well established that it will never be possible to get rid of them.

Unlike the native otter, the mink was introduced in the late 19th and early 20th century because it was bred in farms to produce beautiful fur.

Some escaped and some were deliberately released by animal rights people but the mink does not have any natural enemies in Britain. They breed easily and survive well. Although it is much smaller than the otter, the mink is much more of a problem in the countryside.

Not only do they eat fish but they also prey on native mammals and birds.

Some blame the mink for eating the water vole - Ratty in Wind in the Willows - which is now becoming rare in many areas.

Mink also eat the eggs and young of water birds, including moorhens, ducks and geese, and have even attacked young swans.

Mink are also a menace to those who keep hens or any other species of bird which make a tasty snack for this furry killer.

Biologists hope that the mink population may settle down to a balance in time but for many years to come it is likely to be a problem.

Until it reaches a balance, this little nuisance must be labelled as "ugly".

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