Camera traps have confirmed the first wild baby pine martens seen in over 100 years, showing the species is breeding again after being reintroduced to southwest England by conservationists.
The camera trap footage shows the baby pine martens, known as kits, chasing each other through the woods last month. It marks a major step in a pioneering reintroduction project to bring the locally-extinct animals back to southwest England after a century-long absence.
The discovery follows the release of 15 pine martens — eight females and seven males — into undisclosed woodland locations in Dartmoore, Devon in autumn 2024 as part of efforts to restore the species to the area.
Two Moors Pine Marten Project, led by Devon Wildlife Trust, were behind the reintroduction of pine martens into Devon. Local volunteers have spent months tracking the elusive, cat-sized animals, placing den boxes, and using camera traps to monitor their progress.
According to Devon Wildlife Trust, camera trap footage has now revealed the first glimpses of the baby pine martens, filmed at a secret site last month.
Two films show the kits as they explore their new home. In one clip we see three baby pine martens in a Dartmoor woodland chasing each other through foliage and up a bank before disappearing from sight. A second film shows the same mother with two kits as they scamper along a fallen tree close to a fast-running Dartmoor stream.
The kits are among the first to be born wild in Devon for more than a century. The small cat-sized animals were once common in the South West but fell victim to the loss of their favoured woodland habitat and to human persecution, according to conservationists.
“When our volunteers discovered the footage of pine marten kits on one of our trail cameras we were ecstatic. This is a historic moment for the return of a native animal and for the future of the South West’s woodlands,” Devon Wildlife Trust’s Tracey Hamston says in a press release.
“To have breeding pine martens back after a century’s absence signals a positive step in nature’s recovery. It’s also testament to the many hours work undertaken by the project partnership and dozens of local volunteers.”
‘The Elusive Pine Marten’
According to The Wildlife Trusts, pine martens are shy, tree-dwelling mammals mostly found in northern parts of the UK, especially Scotland. They prefer woodland habitats and are excellent climbers, often making their homes in tree holes, old squirrel nests, or bird nests.
Pine martens eat small rodents, birds, eggs, insects, and fruit. They’re sometimes seen visiting bird tables if tempted with peanuts or raisins. During the summer mating season, they make high-pitched, cat-like calls. The following spring, females give birth to one to five young which become independent by autumn.
Pine martens are elusive creatures and can be difficult to spot in the wild, especially as they are most active at dawn and dusk.