Hundreds of traps on floating platforms are to be placed in two protected areas, in the Prespes Lakes and the Lake of Kastoria, as well as the banks of the Aliakmonas River, to catch wild minks that have escaped into the environment. Minks are an alien species for the region and have caused huge damage to the environment after large numbers were released into the wild, with substantial repercussions for birdlife, ANA reports.
In the context of the European programme LIFE ATIAS, which has a total budget of nearly 2 million euros, the trapped minks will be killed instantly with an air gun and will afterwards be transferred for analysis to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which is in charge of the programme.
The problem with the minks became very significant when 50,000 minks at a breeding unit in Siatista and Hiliodendro were released by animal rights activists in 2010.
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