Image Credit: Courtesy Shropshire Wildlife Trust
For the first time in a century, a pine marten has been spotted in England, roaming the forested hillsides of Shropshire along the country’s border with Wales.
In Ireland, where some 2,700 pine martens reside under legal protections, gray squirrel populations have crashed wherever pine martens have expanded. At the same time, red squirrel numbers have risen in areas once dominated by gray squirrels. The reason? Gray squirrels are a bit slower and heavier than their red counterparts, and that makes them easier meals for pine martens.
Edmunds, who runs the Wildlife Trust’s Shropshire Pine Marten project, has been on the hunt for a true sighting of the animal for the past five years. He’s investigated multiple supposed pine marten sightings, but they’ve all turned out be cases of mistaken identity—cats, mink, and even squirrels—or unverifiable.
“Many people have questioned my sanity for a while now for dedicating so much of my time investigating sightings,” Edmunds said. “Although two other photos [of pine martens] have been taken in the last decade, those cases were thought to be photos of pine martens that escaped wildlife parks/sanctuaries. It is likely that this marten is completely wild, so this is a very important record.”
It’s important because it shows that England can once again provide habitat for the pine marten, which is thought to have once been the second-most-common carnivore in the country.
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