The Invasion: Decades in the Making

American mink were moved from the United States into fur farms in Europe
Graphic created by Noelle Le Tourneau

          Mink did not immediately invade Europe upon the introduction of commercial fur-farms. However, due to repeat escapes (high propagule pressure) from these farms and intentional releases, mink have established viable populations at various levels throughout Europe. 

• Propagule Pressure: quality, quantity and frequency of invading organisms (Groom, 2006)

The mink did not invade Europe overnight. Though it took many entrances into the wild for the American mink to establish itself, the start of these populations would effect the European ecosystems for decades to come.

Mid-20th century American mink farm in the UK
Courtesy of http://www.scottishmink.org.uk/american-mink/

          Early fur farms, such as the one pictured on the left, began to have accidental escapes. Other countries placed this voracious predator into the wild deliberately, without knowing the lasting consequences. Between 1933 and 1963 in the former Soviet Union, the American mink were even intentionally released to create a harvestable population in the wild (Macdonald, 2003). Currently, animal activist groups have deliberately released captive American mink into the wild. Though the animal agencies may have made an attempt to free the American mink from cages and fur-farming, it ultimately compromised the healthiness of many native European species. Economic decisions of early mink-fur farmers have had lasting effects to varying degrees.  Though the mink invasion problem has become multi-national and border-transcending problem in Europe, the extent of the problem varies by country. 

Current Presence of American mink in wild, first date of American mink fur farm and time lag of first reported wild American mink

• Date listed in country is the date of establishment of the first American mink fur farm in that country
• The number following ("+7" for example) is how many years later the first American mink was reported in the wild

Presence of American mink in 28 European countries:  
0 = mink absent

1 = found sporadically in the wild but no established population confirmed

2 = localized distribution in a few areas

3 = widely distributed but over less than 50% of the national territory

4 = widely distributed over 50% of the national territory

5 = status not determined

Graphic created by Noelle Le Tourneau

Data courtesy of (Bonesi, 2007), (McDonald et al., 2003) & (Kauhala, 2006)

          Regarding the map to the left, American mink populations did not immediately establish themselves in the wild as soon as they entered the European fur farms. Instead it took the mink several years after its economic introduction to become present in the wild. The economic decisions of the mid-20th century has affected the presence of American mink in current day Europe."In 28 European countries, current numbers of alien species established in the wild are indeed more closely related to indicators of socioeconomic activity from the year 1900 than to those from 2000, although the majority of species introductions occurred during the second half of the 20th century" (Essl et al., 2010). This phenomenon, known as invasion debt is exemplified by the current American mink populations. The current European ecosystems reflect the economy of the past, where fur-farming was in higher demand than today.


Other takeaways from this map? The American mink seemed to escape more quickly into the wild at Northern latitudes and tend to be more widely established at Northern latitudes. What traits make American mink fit for Northern latitudes?

As humans introduce invasives, either unintentionally or intentionally, we must keep in mind how they may affect systems many generations later.

Interested in early American mink farms in Europe? Watch the historic footage of these farms here.