Isle Of Palms Magazine Summer/Fall 2018

13 www.IsleOfPalmsMagazine.com | www.ILoveIOP.com | www.IOPmag.com H ave you ever spotted a creature resembling a brown ferret while out and about in the Lowcountry marshes? Sure, we know this creature is a mink, but, at first glance, it sure shares similarities with our domestic friend the ferret. In fact, they both belong to the mustelidae family, which also includes weasels. So what’s the story of this dark-coated, web-footed, long-tailed solitary animal on Dewees Island? I spoke with Certified Wildlife Biologist Jay Butfiloski, who works at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as the Furbearer Project coordinator. I soon learned that minks didn’t always thrive in this area. Imagine a time in the early 2000s when a mink Let Me Reintroduce You … By Helen Harris Minks Are on Dewees Island to Stay Photo courtesy of Jay Butfiloski.