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Brief Communications

Nature 410, 35-36 (1 March 2001) | doi:10.1038/35065157

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Frustrations of fur-farmed mink

Georgia J. Mason1, Jonathan Cooper2 & Catherine Clarebrough1

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Mink may thrive in captivity but they miss having water to romp about in.

Animals may suffer in captivity if they are strongly motivated to perform activities that their housing does not permit. Here we investigate to what extent these limitations affect caged mink and find that these animals will not only pay high costs to be able to perform a range of natural behaviours, but they will also release the 'stress' hormone cortisol when prevented from indulging in swimming, their favourite activity.

  1. Zoology Department, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
  2. School of Agriculture and Horticulture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe Court, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EP, UK

Correspondence to: Georgia J. Mason1 e-mail: Email: georgia.mason@zoology.oxford.ac.uk