LETTER: Mink menace

I WAS interested to read the public response to nest robbers ("The osprey is back in the skies, and the thieves are in its nest", 21 May).

I wonder if many people realise that there is a far more menacing nest robber at large causing widespread havoc among the colonies of seabirds on offshore islands: mink.

Mink are not indigenous and are here purely as a result of escapees from mink farms. They have spread throughout the country and found a niche in which they have no natural predators. They tend to prey on waterside habitats and are causing a lot of damage.

There should be a concerted effort led by national organisations such as the RSPB to reduce if not eradicate these vermin.

Michael Murray

Crinan, Argyll