>It was pure black and screaming a sound I had not heard before.  Also it
>was obviously not a descented animal....
>... solid black.  After smelling the odor, I thought maybe I had missed
>the white stipe!  The cable guy (Charlie) tried getting close to it with
>his gloves on but it was screaming and put a bit of fear in us.  Then it
>took off running.  Ran to the neighbors, both on the side and in back.
>The dogs in the yards went nuts and the smell was traveling fast!...
 
It was absolutly a mink.  Yes, they stink like hell, as my freind who's
dog rustled one up last year can attest to, and they scream like heck when
cornered.  It usually does just what it did with you, which is freak out
whomever might be trying to catch it.  If it's around people, there's a
possible chance it's an escapee, for whatever reason, from a fur farm.
There is also the posibility it may be rabid, though this is far less
likely, as minks have been shown to have a very high resistance to the
current strains of rabies.  As for being bad for the neighbourhood, I
don't really think so, but heaven knows if it belongs there really,
especially if you're deep in the suburbs or city.  If it's near a river,
large park or forest, I can't personally see the problem.
 
Melissa Drake
[Posted in FML issue 3509]