Home / Environment / Exmoor Sees Pine Marten Kits Born After 100 Years
Exmoor Sees Pine Marten Kits Born After 100 Years
4 Sep
Summary
- Pine martens have successfully bred on Exmoor after a century-long absence.
- A remote camera captured a female with four kits, a significant conservation milestone.
- Reintroduction efforts began in September 2025 with 19 pine martens released.
Pine martens have returned to Exmoor, marking their first confirmed wild breeding in over a century. A remote camera documented a female with four young kits, a crucial sign of the reintroduction's success. This development follows the release of 19 pine martens in September 2025 as part of the Two Moors Pine Marten Project.
The ambitious project, a collaboration involving multiple conservation organizations, aims to re-establish pine martens across Dartmoor and Exmoor. The founding population of 19 animals, sourced from Scotland, was released after extensive preparation. Volunteers and local communities have actively supported the initiative through practical conservation tasks and wildlife monitoring.
This breeding success on Exmoor echoes earlier positive signs from Dartmoor, where pine martens were released in autumn 2024 and also confirmed to have bred. The presence of young kits is a vital step towards creating a self-sustaining population, though conservationists emphasize that the species remains vulnerable to threats like road accidents and habitat loss.
Public involvement remains key, with calls for sightings and trail camera participation across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset. While the four kits offer a powerful early indication of the species' recovery, continued monitoring and habitat preservation are essential for securing the pine marten's long-term future in south-west England.
