Night camera captures first pine marten seen in Yorkshire for over 35 years

A wildlife camera has captured elusive footage of a rare animal that hasn't been seen in Yorkshire for over 30 years.
The pine marten was filmed in a North York Moors forestThe pine marten was filmed in a North York Moors forest
The pine marten was filmed in a North York Moors forest

Non-profit group NatureSpy announced that one of their 'camera traps' had produced the first ever images of a pine marten in the county after one was filmed on Forestry Commission land in the North York Moors area.

Although a skull was found back in 1993, there hasn't been a living record of the mammals' presence for 35 years, and no conclusive sightings.

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The volunteers have spent the past four years monitoring cameras at several locations in the hope of finding proof of the creatures' existence in Yorkshire.

Pine martens are reclusive and difficult to track without the aid of technology and bait to tempt them down to the forest floor from their treetop habitat.

They are most commonly found in the Scottish Highlands, and there is also a small population in Wales. Evidence of them living in Cumbria was discovered in 2011.

Project co-ordinator Ed Snell said:-

“To finally prove pine marten presence in Yorkshire is a massive achievement for everyone involved. Pine marten are such an important species, being the second rarest carnivorous mammal in the UK, it’s so exciting to plan the next stage of the project and aid whatever populations we may have here.”

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NatureSpy have now launched a Crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of the new stage of the project, which will include collecting DNA samples and creating habitat management plans.

Visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/searching-for-pine-marten-in-yorkshire to donate.

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