Pine Marten found in Wales – the first in 40 years!

Sadly, the proof is a victim of the roadkill

November 2012. A road casualty pine marten has been found near Newtown in Powys - the first known carcass in Wales since 1971.

‘The significance of this find cannot be overstated,' said Natalie Buttriss, Chief Executive with The Vincent Wildlife Trust. ‘It adds to the body of evidence supporting the long-held view of mammal experts that this attractive tree-dwelling animal does exist in Wales, but in such low numbers that very few people ever see one.'

The carcass was found by local resident Olly Amy on the roadside close to the village of Aberhafesp near Newtown. Olly contacted The Vincent Wildlife Trust after correctly identifying it as a pine marten. DNA analysis carried out at Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland has provided unequivocal evidence that this is a pine marten native to the British Isles. The animal was a young male.

300 reported sightings
In the last 20 years, The Vincent Wildlife Trust has received more than 300 credible reports of sightings of pine martens in Wales and has built up a map of ‘hot spot' areas. Until today, however, the most recent unequivocal evidence was a pine marten scat (dropping) found in Cwm Rheidol forest (Some 40-50 miles from the location of this animal) in 2007 and later positively DNA tested.




Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/pine-marten-wales.html