A mink the size of a cat has caused chaos at a nature reserve with its voracious appetite.

The uninvited guest ate its way through ducks and swans at Bronte Caravan Park, decimating the levels of wildfowl, as well as reducing fish stocks.

Danny Parker, who has spent years developing the nature reserve, next to his caravan park in Halifax Road, Keighley, was devastated to see most of his animals wiped out.

He told the Telegraph & Argus: "We would go to the lake in the morning, and just find piles of dead ducks and swans. It seemed like it was killing for fun.

"None of us ever saw the mink, so in desperation we had to call in a professional, who set up Government-approved humane traps which finally caught it."

During its reign of terror, the rogue rodent managed to kill Manadarin and Carobina ducks, as well as Black Australian swans and a variety of fish.

The 50-acre nature park is a labour of love for Danny and his family, which they fund entirely themselves for the pleasure of both locals, and people on site.

Danny added: "The park is run by us on a non-profit making basis, and we get a lot of pleasure from seeing people enjoy the natural surroundings.

"All of the animals here are like our pets, so it was very disheartening to see so many killed."

The elusive mink took five weeks to catch, and Danny estimates it will cost more than £1,000 to replace all of the animals killed.

They believe the animal came from the River Worth, and travelled over the nature park to reach the two-acre lake.

Mink were introduced into this country from North America, and bred on fur farms.

If released into the wild, they can have a devastating effect on domestic wildlife.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.