CHELSEA - HOPE FOR WILDLIFE What an exciting day we had. My little rescued mink was coming home! I got an email from Hope For Wildlife that they would be delivering him to Mahone Bay today to be released back into the wild. It’s customary to do this whenever possible. I was thrilled to see the little guy full of life because when I first laid eyes on him I thought he was dead. He suffered a head injury that took the sight in his right eye so it was cloudy. They didn’t remove the eye ball and told me his eye lids would seal shut. It won’t impact on his survival and his sense of smell and hearing will improve to compensate for the loss.
Chelsea arrived from Hope For Wildlife around noon and we discussed the best place to release Mr. Lucky. The area where I found him was too close to a main road and it didn’t have any bodies of fresh water handy. I selfishly suggested behind my shop. There is an aquatic park with two man-made ponds and the Maggie Maggie River runs behind it. It is a private place and quiet, a nice habitat for a guy to set up housekeeping and be on the prowl for Mrs. Lucky.
Chelsea arrived from Hope For Wildlife around noon and we discussed the best place to release Mr. Lucky. The area where I found him was too close to a main road and it didn’t have any bodies of fresh water handy. I selfishly suggested behind my shop. There is an aquatic park with two man-made ponds and the Maggie Maggie River runs behind it. It is a private place and quiet, a nice habitat for a guy to set up housekeeping and be on the prowl for Mrs. Lucky.
There are minks in that area so he should be able to make a decent life there and be close enough so I might catch a glimpse of him from time to time. I have this romantic, somewhat foolish link with him. I’m just a smelly human that picked him off the road, a forgotten memory that has no consequence, but for me I kind of feel responsible for him, want the best for the little guy and need to know he’s okay and doing well. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about him over the past couple of weeks and his little face is my screen saver. I suppose this proves I should never work in an animal shelter because my home would be overrun with pets. I’d be known far and wide as that crazy dog, cat and bird, lady. My heart is huge when it comes to animals, there’s room in those four chambers for a lot more than my poodles. Seeing needy eyes that beg for forever homes would be my downfall. I’d be broke and run out of town by the by-law of only four registered animals.
So we grabbed cameras and Chelsea, hubby, Nancy and Michelle and I headed out the backdoor with our caged star of the hour. Shane was in the middle of stirring wool and couldn’t leave the shop. I said so what, this is a rare moment to experience but he was duty bound and wouldn’t budge. If possible, he has an even bigger heart when it comes to animals but his perfectionism overruled his curiosity and told us he’d watch the video.
So we grabbed cameras and Chelsea, hubby, Nancy and Michelle and I headed out the backdoor with our caged star of the hour. Shane was in the middle of stirring wool and couldn’t leave the shop. I said so what, this is a rare moment to experience but he was duty bound and wouldn’t budge. If possible, he has an even bigger heart when it comes to animals but his perfectionism overruled his curiosity and told us he’d watch the video.
We walked along the path to a more secluded area and put his cage on the ground. It was bitterly cold but Chelsea said he had a nice warm winter coat, which I wished I was wearing! We positioned ourselves around the cage and I did the honours of opening the door.
He clearly didn’t want to leave the warmth of the blanket and the safety of his confinement. He poked his head out, peeked around but didn’t budge. We waited but nothing happened. I lifted the cage in the back so he would slide out but he gripped on like he was on a window ledge three stories up. Chelsea pulled out his security blanket and he peeked out again but didn’t show any signs of leaving so I tipped the cage again, while Nancy and hubby waited, primed to capture his exit. Nothing. So I had to get aggressive with the cage and at one point it was completely vertical and yet he still held on so I gave it a little shake. He kind of oozed out and I set the cage down.
He took off like a shot in the dark towards his new lease on life. He moved so quickly there really isn’t any photo of his backside as he rushed to the river and disappeared along the bank. Free after two weeks of a head injury and pain killers, strangers poking and prodding him and solitary confinement, he was out of there. Free to get back to living the life of a mink. He was sleek, the most beautiful shade of brown and now nothing remained but the memory and the smell, and stink he did. Not quite as bad as a skunk but in the ballpark. Unfortunately one camera experienced operator failure and the other video card filled up but we did get a few decent shots of his head poking out of the cage.
When the excitement was over we went back to the shop for hot coffee and then Chelsea hit the road on her way to another release. If not for the pictures to document the event, it was over so fast it might not have happened.
After work, hubby and I went over to the release area to see if the chicken and kibble were still there, a meal left in case Mr. Mink couldn’t establish himself quickly by foraging on his own. Nothing was touched. Maybe when he took off running he didn’t stop, leaving the crazy humans in the dust. He might be all the way up river, as far away from town noises and houses as he could get, and who could blame him? Chelsea left more food to sprinkle today just in case he does come back and needs a bit more help to establish the area as his home. I’ll always look over there a bit more intently, hoping to see that little head bob up and down, that long, slim brown body playing in the underbrush.
That might be the closest I'll ever get to a real mink...both the animal or fur coat! It was cold enough to wear my faux fur but I worried photos would make it look like the real thing making me look like a hypocrite and insensitive when professing to love my little mink! Good luck in your new life Mr. Lucky!
The video below is not the best. The camera card filled up quickly so there is only a quick shot....just enough to see how cute he is! His poor little right eye is cloudy. We went over this morning and the chicken was gone, hopefully taken by the mink not a racoon. We didn't see him but this is one of those scenarios where no news is great news!
He clearly didn’t want to leave the warmth of the blanket and the safety of his confinement. He poked his head out, peeked around but didn’t budge. We waited but nothing happened. I lifted the cage in the back so he would slide out but he gripped on like he was on a window ledge three stories up. Chelsea pulled out his security blanket and he peeked out again but didn’t show any signs of leaving so I tipped the cage again, while Nancy and hubby waited, primed to capture his exit. Nothing. So I had to get aggressive with the cage and at one point it was completely vertical and yet he still held on so I gave it a little shake. He kind of oozed out and I set the cage down.
He took off like a shot in the dark towards his new lease on life. He moved so quickly there really isn’t any photo of his backside as he rushed to the river and disappeared along the bank. Free after two weeks of a head injury and pain killers, strangers poking and prodding him and solitary confinement, he was out of there. Free to get back to living the life of a mink. He was sleek, the most beautiful shade of brown and now nothing remained but the memory and the smell, and stink he did. Not quite as bad as a skunk but in the ballpark. Unfortunately one camera experienced operator failure and the other video card filled up but we did get a few decent shots of his head poking out of the cage.
When the excitement was over we went back to the shop for hot coffee and then Chelsea hit the road on her way to another release. If not for the pictures to document the event, it was over so fast it might not have happened.
After work, hubby and I went over to the release area to see if the chicken and kibble were still there, a meal left in case Mr. Mink couldn’t establish himself quickly by foraging on his own. Nothing was touched. Maybe when he took off running he didn’t stop, leaving the crazy humans in the dust. He might be all the way up river, as far away from town noises and houses as he could get, and who could blame him? Chelsea left more food to sprinkle today just in case he does come back and needs a bit more help to establish the area as his home. I’ll always look over there a bit more intently, hoping to see that little head bob up and down, that long, slim brown body playing in the underbrush.
That might be the closest I'll ever get to a real mink...both the animal or fur coat! It was cold enough to wear my faux fur but I worried photos would make it look like the real thing making me look like a hypocrite and insensitive when professing to love my little mink! Good luck in your new life Mr. Lucky!
The video below is not the best. The camera card filled up quickly so there is only a quick shot....just enough to see how cute he is! His poor little right eye is cloudy. We went over this morning and the chicken was gone, hopefully taken by the mink not a racoon. We didn't see him but this is one of those scenarios where no news is great news!
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