The cute little critter, just days old, was discovered living in a bin in Staylittle, near Llanidloes. It was the only one of its siblings to survive, and was saved thanks to the kindness of a good Samaritan.
The Pine Marten found its way into the hands of Kelly Healy, a Mochdre resident and Newtown town councillor, after she was tagged in a Facebook post, asking if anyone could provide some kitten milk.
Kelly sought help from Creature Comforts, based in Trefeglwys, and later Havenmore Hedgehog Rescue, in Newtown, before taking it to the Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre in Tewkesbury, one of the biggest wildlife centres in the UK.
It was here that the furry little fella was discovered to be a male pine marten – a cat-sized member of the weasel family, that are rare in the UK but making a recovery in mid Wales.
“I stayed up all night feeding, keeping him warm and holding him as he seemed to like being held – holding him would stop him crying,” said Kelly.
“I didn’t know what I what I was looking after; it definitely was not a kitten and he had a very strong, strange smell.
“He was found in a bin by someone, in Staylittle. Unfortunately, the other kits had died; this person was the reason the kit survived and the start of his journey to get the right treatment.”
“I’m fortunate to be one of the people that helped him,” said Kelly. (Image: Kelly Healy)
Kelly contacted Creature Comforts, after it posted on its Facebook page, asking if anyone had any kitten milk.
Powys Animal Welfare paid for the milk and out-of-hours service at the vet, before Kelly contacted Rose Lambert at Havenmore Hedgehog Rescue the following morning.
“She recommended a wildlife lady who thought it could be a fox (due to the noise and how small he was),” said Kelly.
“Me and my mum drove him to her and she looked after him for a couple of nights and then handed him over to Vale Wildlife Hospital, where they realised it was a pine marten.
The Pine Marten weighs just 105g and is now 2-weeks-old. (Image: Kelly Healy)
“In 42 years of them having the rescue, they have never had one of these brought in, and they are really excited to have him, as they are very rare here.
“He is doing really well and is in the best place. He is just over two weeks old and is famous on the centre’s Facebook page, with over 4.8K likes and 1.2K comments.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him grow into an adult and released back to the wild, and am fortunate to be one of the people that helped him.”
Pine Martens are a cat-sized member of the weasel family, that are rare in the UK. (Image: Vale Wildlife Hospital)
The centre described his arrival in Gloucestershire as a “truly special admission”.
“Well, never in our 42 years have we admitted one of these,” the centre said in a post on April 27.
“We’ve had a very exciting (and very tiny) new arrival. Weighing just 105g and sadly discovered in a rubbish bin alongside two deceased siblings, this young kit has been on quite the journey already, having been passed between four different people and locations before reaching us.
“Brought to us by a hedgehog carer believing he might be a fox cub which, given his size, is an easy mistake to make, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we realised he was something much rarer.”
A day later, in another post, it said: “Our mystery kit from last night’s post is indeed a pine marten.
“One of the UK’s rarest native mammals – known as mustelids (alongside otters, weasels, stoats, polecats and badgers).
“They’re agile climbers, spending much of their time in trees, and are known for their beautiful chocolate-brown fur and distinctive creamy ‘bib’ on their chest.
“Pine martens were once widespread across the UK but suffered huge declines due to habitat loss and persecution. Thankfully, populations are slowly recovering in some areas, with this kit’s admission a sign of that.
“For this little one, unless we’re incredibly lucky enough to find another kit of a similar age, he’ll remain with us until late August.
“At that point, we’ll work with other organisations to find a safe and suitable release site for him.
“A truly special admission for all of us at Vale Wildlife Hospital.”