Facing Extinction, Last Call for the European Mink

Abstract

The European mink (Mustela lutreola) is one of the most threatened mammals of Europe. Its present distribution is limited to three isolated areas: northern Spain and western France, the Danube delta in Romania, and Ukraine and Russia. Hunting pressure, habitat loss and the impact of the alien American mink (Neovison vison) have all been proposed as reasons for this drastic decline. American mink is occupying the last European mink distribution areas leading to the disappearance of the latter species. To add to this dramatic situation, two new threats are currently undermining conservation efforts: firstly, the powerful fur trade lobby is trying to exclude the American mink from the Invasive Species List and secondly, a recent opinion is paradoxically proclaiming to consider southern populations of European mink as invasive species. However, there is an immediate need for energy and budgets to be focused on avoiding this mammal´s imminent extinction.