CAPTIVE mink suffer because no one lets them go for a swim, according to
zoologist Georgia Mason and her colleagues from the University of Oxford. In a
study designed to reveal the favourite activities of farmed mink, the animals
had to break down doors to reach toys or a swimming pool. The mink tried harder
to reach the pool than their toys. When deprived of the pool, they had the same
elevated levels of stress hormones as when they were deprived of food,
suggesting that mink are not happy on farms (Nature, vol 410, p
35).
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
3
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
4
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
5
This physicist is hunting for the biggest black hole in the universe
6
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
7
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
8
I’m the first person whose life was saved by CRISPR base editing
9
Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible
10
The lunar botanist with a plan to farm vegetables on the moon
