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Petition To Save Mink The Bear Quickly Gains Steam

Courtesy Ron DiMasi
A Different Bear: A bear up in a tree on the Dartmouth College campus in Hanover drew attention Saturday, just as a petition to save "Mink," the area's more famous ursine resident, circulated online.

A bear in Hanover nicknamed "Mink" is now the subject of a second online petition aimed at saving her life.

The first, last year, gained so much attention that Governor Chris Sununu ordered Fish and Game to pardon the animal. At the time, her then-yearlings had gotten into a home in town.

This time around, the petition comes after Mink’s relocation to the North Country. According to the latest update from Fish and Game, she’s covering long distances to try to get home. 

Signers of the current petition want a guarantee she won’t be killed if she makes it back. It’s unclear how likely that is to happen, or whether shooting her remains an option for officials. 

Since her relocation, Mink’s cubs are being raised byBen Kilham in Lyme. Andy Timmins, with Fish and Game, said he’s been hearing a lot of public concern about the animals’ separation. But, he said, the cubs are more likely to survive under Kilham’s care than if they’d been relocated with their mother. Mink would be trying to make her way home regardless of whether or not she had her cubs with her, he said.

Meanwhile, another bear spent hours Saturday up a tree on Dartmouth’s campus in Hanover, attracting police attention. 

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