STONINGTON. Conn. (WTNH) — Stonington Point is a place where locals and visitors come to be by the water or enjoy the beach, but police are now warning them to stay away from aggressive minks.
“I’m here every day, sometimes twice a day,” Stonington resident Frank Obuchowski said.
They’re used to listening for weather reports — not this.
“Please be advised that minks have been spotted in the area of Stonington Borough Point,” an audio warning sent by Stonington Police said. “The police department received a complaint this morning (September 15) of minks chasing a person. People should use caution and stay away from them.”
“That’s astonishing,” Trey Hunt, who is visiting from Texas, said. “I never knew there were wild minks in Stonington.”
“I’m surprised. yeah,” Obuchowski said. “I’m surprised.”
On Wednesday, a woman told police she was sitting on Dubois Beach when minks came after her. News 8’s Tina Detelj spoke with her mother who said it happened another time, too.
“They’re cute, but they’re dangerous,” Elizabeth Wood, executive director of the Stonington Historical Society said. “They’re aggressive.”
Locals say the minks live in the rocks near the beach and are very territorial. Back in the 1900s, there were mink farms in town.
“They had as many as a hundred on each farm,” Wood said. “They kept them in cages.”
Most of the farms shut down in the 1950s, but some of the minks remain.
“Definitely some had gotten loose,” Wood said. “You will see them occasionally on Route 1. They’ve been hit by cars and things or running across the road.”
Minks reportedly like to be by the water, and some residents say over the years, they’ve also seen minks in other parts of town like near docks.
“They fed them with fish on the farms, so that might be why,” Wood said.
“Well, minks on the beach, maybe they’re just looking for a bit of vacay,” Hunt said.
Police warn don’t be fooled by how cute they may appear.
“Minks look like pet ferret animals, but they are not friendly,” police said in the warning they sent.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection tells News 8 that unless someone had a mink cornered, it is unlikely it would chase someone.
A woman sitting on the beach in Stonington Point told police she was chased by minks Wednesday. Some locals said the animals are very territorial of the rocks that they’ve turned into their home.
Police issued a warning to residents because they don’t want anyone to go near the minks. They may look cute like ferrets, but authorities say they are wild and could be dangerous.
Lots of folks are surprised there are minks in town. They may also be surprised there used to mink farms in Stonington.
