Just after the Civil War, American farmers began raising minks for fur. Eventually, they settle down with a single mate for life. Young minks pair up with multiple partners over their lifetime, bearing anywhere between one and ten kits per litter. Aggressive and territorial to the point of hostility, minks of both sexes screech and hiss, discharge musk, and viciously bite intruders. They mark their territory with a foul-smelling musk widely considered to smell as bad as a skunk’s. Wild minks move around frequently, feasting on muskrats, rabbits, mice, fish, snakes, and turtles. Their adaptable American cousins, on the other hand, make their home near freshwater lakes and streams in all parts of North America except in the arid Southwest. Today, European minks are listed as an endangered species (in part due to over-competition from American ranch minks released from European farms). Members of the Weasel family, minks appear in both American ( Mustela Vison) and European ( Mustela Lutreola) varieties. Today, activist groups and prohibitively high prices have largely curbed the fur industry in Colorado, although several prominent furriers and retailers still operate throughout the state. As one of Colorado’s leading productive industries for several decades, mink farming is an example of the state’s transition away from resource extraction and refining during the mid-1900s. Colorado’s “Second Fur Trade” was typified by the burgeoning popularity of mink fur coats, a luxury item that enjoyed great popularity during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |