Crowd-funding bid to help find Yorkshire pine marten

YORKSHIRE, U.K. - Oct. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- The project, launched by NatureSpy, aims to raise money for wildlife camera traps which can then be placed in the forests. These special cameras trigger when animals pass in front of them, snapping a picture and can work 24/7 for months on end.

The pine marten has never been officially recorded alive in Yorkshire, although there are regular sightings. A dead pine marten was discovered by a roadside here in 1993.

If, as suspected, they are found to be living here it would mean that the second-rarest carnivorous mammal in the UK calls Yorkshire home.

“We are confident of finding this wonderful little mammal here.” said NatureSpy Wildlife Biologist, Hannah Henshaw.

“Due to how shy the pine marten is, its arboreal lifestyle and large territory, it means we need to cover as large an area as possible. More cameras mean a much better chance.

“We also want to involve the public in our search, connect them with our amazing wildlife and wild places and help them feel part of a unique quest.”

The existing project cameras have already captured some of the fantastic wildlife that hides in our forests, such as badger, roe deer and even buzzard and tawny owl.

Pine martens resemble ferrets or stoats, but are significantly larger, with adults growing over two feet in length, and sport a bushy tail.

To learn more about the project and see how you can help, visit www.nature-spy.co.uk.

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Notes for editors:

1.        Pine martens resemble ferrets or stoats, but are significantly larger, with adults growing over two foot long and sporting a bushy tail. Once widespread in the UK, persecution and habitat loss saw the population dwindle during the early 20th century. Today the animal is mainly restricted to the Scottish Highlands.

Martens have a very varied diet, which changes with the seasonal availability of foods. Small rodents are an important food, but birds, beetles, carrion, eggs and fungi are also eaten. In autumn, berries are a staple part of the diet. Martens mostly hunt on the ground, although they are superb climbers and can climb with great agility. They also have very large territories that vary in size according to habitat and food availability. Males can roam over 10-25 square kilometres. Martens mark their territories with faeces (known as scats) deposited in places where they are conspicuous to other martens.

2.        NatureSpy is a small business based in the North East that offers wildlife camera traps for rental to schools, landowners, environmental organisations and nature reserves, as well as wildlife biologists to set and check the cameras. Thousands of images of British wildlife have already been captured and the best can be seen at www.nature-spy.co.uk.