Mink Hunt - 3

Hot news from the hunt for the the killer mink is.... that there is no news. The Brigand, either because he'd had a surfeit of prize pedigree chicken and felt like a change of diet, or because he'd seen the veritable arsenal of weapons that was being deployed against him, hasn't been seen or heard from since the last Diary entry, here.

All of which is extremely frustrating for Tom, the aggrieved owner of the murdered chickens, who has gone to great lengths to increase the level of protection for his birds. In his spare moments he's also been calculating the cost of his losses, which comes to well over £1,000 when the full value of replacing the birds and lost egg production - the eggs are sold fertilized through eBay - are taken into account.

Tom is, however, using the interlude to study mink habits so he's even better prepared for when the Brigand returns. Amongst other fascinating facts The Diary has gleaned from him, it has learnt that each male mink controls some 5km of coastline and won't let other males trespass, though they are more tolerant of the occasional female. So perhaps our Brigand is off after a nice lady, and may, at any moment, reappear with her with the intention of wooing her with a chicken meal or two.