PREVIEW

Pine martens are back on Dartmoor for the first time 150 years. The cute but feisty critters originally died out in Devon in the 1870s, but a new conservation project has brought them back. The rare mammals, related to weasels and otters, were transported from Scotland and kept in soft-release pens for three days to acclimatise before being set free. The released group comprises eight females and seven males, all fitted with radio collars to track their movements. The enclosures used for the initial release will be flat-packed and reused for the next phase of the project, which is planned for Exmoor in 2025. Arriving under the cover of darkness each animal was placed in its own specially constructed pen at woodland locations which were chosen for their seclusion. After three days of quiet acclimatisation, the pen doors were opened and the pine martens were allowed to make their first historic steps into the wild. Each animal was fitted with a radio collar to allow their movements to be tracked. The collars will drop off the animals after six to nine months of use - with the population is expected to grow gradually over the coming years.