Athlone’s Owen spearheads mink eradication programme
By Kevin O'Neill
For many years Athlone's Owen Murphy has worked as one of the country's most respected and leading wildlife management specialists.
And now, the Summerhill native is taking on one of the greatest challenges of his career by spearheading the recently launched Midlands Mink Eradication Programme.
The programme involves a collaboration between the Breeding Waders EIP (of which Owen is Senior Project Manager) and the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC), with support from the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS).
And its ultimate aim is to run an ambitious programme to eradicate the hugely problematic American Mink from a pilot area covering a 2,600km² area surrounding, Lough Ree divided into a 1,030km² core area and 1,570km² buffer area. Previously in Ireland, any work carried out to curtail the impact of the deadly American Mink has been restricted to controlling its presence but not in eradicating the non-native, invasive predator that significantly impacts native biodiversity.
The programme, which launched at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co Offaly, plans to run for a three-and-a-half year period through a structured and co-ordinated network of volunteers.
Having recently appointed Athlone men Conan Kelly and Patrick Dunning to the positions of Project Co-Ordinator and Community Engagement Officer respectively, the programme intends to enrol the support of the Midlands' public, and will host a public event in early 2026 to recruit in the region of 200-300 volunteers.
Their role, explained Programme Director Owen, will not be to handle or dispose of the Mink, but instead to be trained to set live traps and digitally monitor the impact of the traps. All volunteers, Owen added, will be fully trained in early 2026 to “help deliver ethical, consistent and efficient trapping in a cost-effective manner”.
All trapping follows strict adherence to Animal Welfare legislation and the programme uses innovative detection and ethical trapping techniques, as well as training and upskilling volunteers for the programme, and by asking members of the public to report sightings of American Mink.
“This is a novel project in an Irish context and a very challenging and interesting one,” Owen told the Westmeath Independent.
“It's a really extensive project that runs for 365 days a year and crucially, will involve the the training and upskilling of local volunteers and also asking members of the public to report sightings of American Mink, and from there extensive data will be gathered to inform conservation efforts and projects.”
The history of American Mink in Ireland, said Owen, dates back to the '50s and '60s when many Mink managed to escape from Irish fur farms.
Trapping efforts since, he said, have controlled local American Mink populations but have been unsuccessful in eradicating them.
“American Mink quickly repopulate an area after trapping and control efforts stop. For the first time, this pilot programme will aim to eradicate American Mink from a large, selected area around Lough Ree,” he said.
The American Mink is a small semi-aquatic mammal, commonly found in Ireland’s rivers, lakes and coastal areas.
“These sort of areas are like Mink highways,” Owen said.
“American Mink hunt for food, both on land and in water, and are challenging to detect within the landscape. They are Ireland’s most destructive invasive species and pose a significant threat to native ground-nesting birds and other wildlife.”
The programme will cover a 2,600km² area surrounding Lough Ree with a network of 600 traps been strategically set and monitored within these areas for the duration of the programme.
American Mink typically have dark brown fur, which may appear black when wet. Though rare, some individuals may display grey or white coats.
“They are opportunistic carnivores, feeding on a wide range of prey including birds, fish, amphibians, invertebrates, reptiles and small mammals, and pose a particular threat to ground-nesting birds, often consuming both adults and eggs,” Owen explained.
“They are aggressive and highly adaptable predators, often causing severe ecological disruption. They are known to raid bird colonies, sometimes taking multiple chicks or eggs in a single hunt. They are opportunistic and prey on a wide range of native species. Ground-nesting birds, such as Waders, Waterfowl and Gamebirds are particularly susceptible to predation by American Mink. They can be locally abundant and reproduce quickly. Ireland’s native species have no natural defence against them, making this is a hugely significant programme not only locally, but also for the future of wildlife in this country,” he added.