An Arbroath woman was left screaming in tears after her three pet rabbits were killed by a rogue mink.
Laura Fraser, of Bellevue Gardens, said she was in disbelief after finding her beloved animals dead in their hutch on Monday morning.
The rabbits had been killed by what Laura initially thought was a pet ferret that had broken-in to their cage in her garden.
After calling the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), she later discovered the animal was a mink, which are known to be an invasive species and very dangerous to other animals.
Laura said: “It was unbelievable, when I went to open up my rabbits’ (cage) in the morning, my rabbits where lying dead with blood all over the hutch.
“I opened the bed and all I saw was bright green eyes staring back at me.
“It moved fast around the bed and I screamed and ran in to the house crying and told my mum and brother.”
Laura said her neighbour waited with her and her family for the SSPCA to arrive after calling them to remove the animal.
“My neighbour also came around to help when we were waiting on the SSPCA and it nearly bit him,” Laura said.
“I want to say a big thank you to the SSPCA for coming and taking the mink away. The SSPCA do amazing work, helping all animals and supporting people.”
Laura suspects that the mink may have been someone’s pet but would like to warn locals to keep an eye out for any in the area.
Mink put down by SSPCA
Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Rebecca Nicholson said: “We were called to an address in Bellevue Gardens, Arbroath where a member of the public had discovered a mink in their rabbit hutch.
“The mink had sadly killed three of the caller’s rabbits.
“Mink are a non-native species and their impact can be devastating to wildlife and the environment, so unfortunately we cannot release any that we find and must euthanise them by law.
“If anyone finds an animal in distress or requires advice on non-native species they should call our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
