After 100 years’ absence, this remarkable video has captured the shy, playful mammal frolicking in a garden in CornwallRare forest creature spotted again in Cornwall after 100 year absence
Video footage has captured a rare and special moment a mammal that disappeared from Cornwall a century ago was seen bounding over rocks and logs in Cornwall.
The rare woodland animal hasn’t been seen in the county for more than a century. Pine martens are typically found much farther north in the Scottish highlands, but recent successful reintroduction programmes have seen them settle quite happily in the South West.
Kernow Conservation CIC captured thrilling footage – which you can watch above – of a pine marten jumping about amid a heavy rainstorm in the Trewithen Estate, between Truro and St Austell, last week.
A camera had been placed inside a beaver enclosure and had been part of a water vole survey, after the animals were introduced to the site, and just so happened to film the pine marten.
Posting to Facebook, Kernow Conservations CIC described the footage as “something truly special”.
“Earlier this week, a camera trap placed within the beaver enclosure captured something incredible – a pine marten moving through the landscape,” the organisation wrote.
“This footage was recorded whilst surveying for water voles, following the reintroduction last year, as part of the ongoing partnership between @kernowconservation and @trewithen_life, where work to restore and enhance habitats is already supporting a wide range of wildlife.
“Pine martens were once native to Cornwall but have been absent for over a century. Their gradual recovery across the UK means moments like this could become more common – but seeing one here, now, is something truly special.”
Pine Martens are woodland mammals which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. The shy but playful animals are considered critically endangered because of the loss of their natural habitats, according to the Woodland Trust,
They are around the size of a small cat and similar in appearance to a stoat or weasel, though pine martens are larger. Pine martens were once native to Cornwall but disappeared around 100 years ago. Conservation efforts are being made to restore the animals across the country, including the Forest of Dean, Exmoor and Dartmoor in the South West.
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