HI - greetings from England.
I have been lurking on the FML for some time but have only just caught up
with the last postings of a week or so ago and would like to add a few
comments to a couple of interesting postings.
 
Phoenix posted an item on European Polecats at St Louis Zoo which was
answered very ably by Bill KIllian, giving some good detail on Polecats &
ferrets.  For my money the animals that were seen by Phoenix at St Louis Zoo
were ferrets.
 
Just out of interest, what are known as sable ferrets in the USA are called
polecat ferrets, or poleys, here in the UK.  This is purely because of the
resemblance they have to the wild polecat and has nothing to do with their
genetic makeup.
 
Bill omitted to mention in his reply that the European Polecat, unlike the
ferret, is a solitary animal and is fiercely territorial - polecats operate
what is called 'intra-sexual territoriality' and, although in this system,
males may have the territories of one or more females within their own
territory, they only tolerate each others close presence for the act of
mating.  Polecats can be tamed, to a degree, if raised from kits, but I
doubt that the "European Polecats" seen snuggling together asleep, were
anything other than sable ferrets.  The European polecat is also rarely
observed during the day, as it is mainly nocturnal in habit.
 
On 7th July Gale Putt posted an item on an alleged sighting of feral ferrets
on Long Island NY suggesting that these could have been mink let loose by
fur breeders.  She also suggests that these mink never having been wild are
dependant on man for food and will approach houses.  I agree that from a
distance mink could be mistaken for ferrets but they are not larger or
heavier as she states - at least they arn't here - but mink do not act at
all like ferrets .  Mink farms have been in existence in the UK for well
over 50 years and escaped mink (the first escapes happened in 1929, I
believe) very quickly formed viable colonies that in some parts of the
country are a major problem to other wildlife.  The mink is a manic and
indiscriminate killer, anything that moves is fair game to the mink and, as
they are also aquatic, that includes anything that swims.  They have created
havoc along some of the rivers here as well as amongst the farm birds in the
areas affected.  They are very quick and efficient killing machines and find
no problem at all in looking after themselves in the open countryside they
shun, not seek out, human company.  Contolling them can be a real problem.
People that have encountered and worked with mink here regard this animal,
even after all these years being captive bred, as being untamable, even if
raised in a domestic situation from a kit, at least that is the situation in
this country.
 
I know someone who had a 6 - 8 week old mink kit, about a year ago, it could
only be handled with heavy gloves and I would descibe it and its behaviour,
in human terms, as a born psycopath!!
 
I have posted my opinion on this subject just in case someone reading the
previous posting might think that a nice tame mink kit might be a suitable
companion for their ferret(s) - it wouldn't be!!
--
George Parker
[Posted in FML issue 2001]