Pine marten kit spotted at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire

A rare pine marten kit has been captured on camera in an area where there is no formal re-introduction programme.

Longleat Estate in Wiltshire revealed in February that two of the mammals had been spotted together, bringing hope of a family.

The safari park then made changes to support the animls, including installing den boxes and changing its woodland management.

"It's extremely exciting that all that work has resulted in kits, said Longleat's head of conservation and research, Dr Tom Lewis. "We now know that they are here to stay and we look forward to seeing our population expand further in the future."

The elusive and cat-sized native mammal from the weasel family was once common across the UK, but habitat loss and hunting had pushed them to the brink of extinction by the beginning of the 20th century.

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"Wild populations exist in the New Forest and the Forest of Dean – well within dispersal distance," Lewis said.

There have also been re-introductions into western Somerset on Exmoor, where they have bred successfully .

"It is extremely rare for footage like this to be available, as they are seen so infrequently because they are primarily active at night," Lewis continued.

"You can tell it's a kit on the video as it's small and slightly ungainly as it comes down the tree," he added.

Lewis said the species can have "up to five kits" in a "good habitat", suggesting there might be more already at the safari park.

Caroline Longley, conservation lead south at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said: "It's really exciting to see the spread of pine martens, especially when there is still so much we have yet to learn about which routes they're taking into Wiltshire from the New Forest and Somerset."

She added: "Having Longleat be a stepping stone in the mosaic of Wiltshire's woodlands, and beyond, provides a really wonderful opportunity to learn about these fascinating creatures and try and understand their population dynamics as they regain their foothold in the UK."

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