VILNIUS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania has proposed adding the American mink and the sika deer to the European Union's (EU's) list of invasive species, Baltic News Service (BNS) reported on Monday.
According to the Environment Ministry, the American mink is a predatory mammal that feeds on a variety of small animals, including birds, fish, amphibians, and rodents. Its predatory behavior and adaptability have a significant negative impact on local ecosystems, particularly ground-nesting birds.
"A single American mink can wipe out an entire bird colony. The spread of the American mink in the wild has led to the extinction of the European mink, a native species in Lithuania," the report says.
According to ministry data, there were about 9,000 American minks in Lithuania in 2007-2008, and as of Jan. 1 this year, nearly 731,000 were being kept on fur farms.
Sika deer that have escaped from enclosures and become naturalized also pose a threat to the genetic integrity of the local red deer population, said the ministry.
According to the ministry, if these species are included on the EU's list of invasive species, they will be subject to regulations aimed at preventing and managing invasive alien species. As a result, it would be prohibited to intentionally introduce, keep, breed, or spread them.
