Bonavista Bay woman says minks are killing birds on her property — and the legacy of her late son
CBC
Judy Pike says she's been losing her domestic birds to mink attacks for some time — and each loss creates a little more distance between her and her late son.
Suffering from an unknown disease that stunted muscle growth, Nicholas always dreamed of owning a hobby farm, the Portland, N.L., woman told CBC News.
In 2010, that dream became a reality thanks to a donation from the Children's Wish charitable foundation. He received chickens, rabbits, roosters, goats, turkeys, geese and ducks, as well as a brand new red barn to house many of the animals.
Nicholas cared for the animals daily, right up until his death in 2018.
Pike said it was important that she and her family keep Nicholas's wish alive.
"That's all that is left of him," she said. "I'm carrying this out now for him. His animals are very, very special.
"I'm just carrying on, and even through they're not laying or producing anything, it's special pets, and I'm just carrying on for him until they dies of old age."
A few years back, when there was a mink farm open in nearby Lethbridge, some of the birds were attacked and killed. The Pikes managed to trap or kill 10 minks they believed to be responsible.
This month, the family experienced more devastation. After taking a break from tending to the pen, Pike and her husband came back to find six dead ducks inside.
"We surrounded the house with metal in there and made a metal cage for them to run and we had some water," she said. "And we had checked them, and went in to get our dinner. And [Nicholas's] father came out to feed them. He came back in the house and said, 'There's nothing out there to feed.' He said, 'Everyone is killed.'
"It took the good right out of me, took the wind right out of me. And I was so upset."
Long before her son received his wish, Pike said, domestic birds had lived around her neighbourhood in Portland unscathed.
She said the problem began when the mink farm opened in Lethbridge, about five kilometres away. The farm there is only seasonal now, and hasn't had any animals on site since the fall.
The owner of the farm, Peter Noer, would not do an interview. The provincial Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture would not provide anyone for an interview either.
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