The GWCT mink raft has revolutionised control of American mink over the last two decades. It gives a highly reliable method of tracking mink, allowing trapping to take place only when they are present. This saves enormous amounts of time and effort, and makes trapping highly target specific, with minimal risk of non-target captures.
This one day course covers: history of mink and their control in the UK; conventional mink trapping; what makes a good mink cage trap; the GWCT mink raft, its development and how to use it; humane dispatch of trapped mink, and health and safety on the river bank. The course also gives an account of two projects where mink rafts have been successfully used to remove mink for water vole conservation, on the rivers Itchen and Dore; plus a successful vole reintroduction on the Dore.