– Devon Wildlife Trust SWNS

Video cameras captured the moment when pine martens returned to Britain’s Exmoor National Park for the first time in 100 years.

The pioneering nature project has reintroduced 19 of the rare creatures back into habitat they once flourished in, and joins a series of reintroduction and rewilding events that must be marking a turnaround for wild England.

– Devon Wildlife Trust / SWNS

During September, 2025, 9 female and 10 male animals were released in secret locations owned by the National Trust and Exmoor National Park Authority.

The pine martens were sourced from healthy wild populations in the Highlands of Scotland, where they underwent health checks. They were then driven more than 500 miles through the night in a specially adapted, temperature-controlled vehicle.

On arrival in Exmoor, three days passed while the animals acclimatized to their new surroundings, at the end of which the door to each pen was opened and the pine martens were able to slip into the forest.

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Tracey Hamston, who leads the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, that it was “wonderful to see pine martens living wild in Exmoor again.”

“These animals were once a key part of our thriving woodland wildlife, so it’s good that they are back where they belong. It’s a positive sign that nature can be restored. Our woodlands and their wildlife will benefit from their presence.”

The releases mark the return of an animal which was once common locally, but which was lost due to hunting and the decline of its favored woodland habitat.

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Their release is the work of the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, with the other “Moor” being Dartmoor National Park in Devon, southwest England. Here, the martens have not only already been released by are also already breeding. 

– Devon Wildlife Trust / SWNS

“We’re proud and delighted to see pine martens returning to Somerset and to have played a part in the national recovery strategy as this animal re-establishes its former range,” said Lucie Bennett, Pine Martens Engagement Officer at Somerset Wildlife at Somerset Wildlife Trust.

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“At a time when wildlife needs us more than ever and action is much needed, it’s fantastic to see recovery milestones met, like the return of this important mammal in functioning British woodlands.

“We look forward to monitoring the progression of the Exmoor animals, supporting woodland wildlife and local communities as the pine martens move and expand their range.”

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