Surrendered Mink

[Georgiesmom]

The adorable and beautiful, unfixed and undescented male mink that was surrendered a few weeks ago will be going to his new forever home at a wildlife park this weekend.

This animal should be living outdoors with access to water for swimming and be able to live as natural a life as possible.  Hopefully he will also have a friend so he will not be lonely.  To keep this animal caged in a home is inhumane and risks the animal being seized and destroyed, to keep a pet mink is illegal.  Plus he has some serious personal hygiene issues possibly arising from being contained within less space then he needs. The decision to place him in a suitable environment was not a difficult one to make, is was the right thing to do.

I know Jen will write about her encounter with this animal and I am certain she is going to miss him once he's gone.  Jen and James have put a great deal of hard work and dedication into fostering the mink along with making a diet that is both nutritious and palatable to him. They have been extremely vigilant with the mink in case he should get at their ferrets.

Jen and I are going to test our friendship on a long road trip to the wildlife centre with an angry, smelly mink in the trunk.     

[Georgiesmom]

Jen and I took a road trip to Muskoka on Friday with Brutus the mink.  Despite being upset at being trapped in a small rabbit cage for 4+hours, Brutus behaved exceedingly well. 
We were kindly given a personal tour around the park to see all of the animals and to meet the Pine Marten that Brutus will be (hopefully) sharing with.  First though, Brutus needs two weeks of quarantine before he can be introduced to the Marten.
This is without doubt the right place for Brutus, be should live a long and happy life at Muskoka and be able to be as wild a mink as possible.
The owners of this park certainly know their stuff and the animals there are well cared for and most of them have lived many years beyond their expected lifespans.  This is not a zoo, there are no rides or unnecessary frills, this place is all about the well being of the animals and the education of visitors.  I was amazed to see foxes and raccoons housed together, a bear and a cougar playing together, just awesome.
Check out their website  www.muskokawildlifecentre.com. Hopefully, Brutus will be feature here too before long.  I will most definatley be making the trip again to see Brutus when he is free to run and be a mink.

I think Jen and James made a huge sacrifice taking Brutus in, he was most certainly a real handful for them and costly to feed.
Beth excelled herself to find this new forever home for Brutus.

FRSO surpassed themselves once again.