The endangered mustelid was driven to extinction in England a hundred years ago and reappeared for the first time in the Shropshire hills in 2015, remaining an extremely rare animal. This particular ferret was caught on camera in a woodland in south-west London where cameras were installed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) as part of the London HogWatch project to monitor and conserve the capital’s hedgehog population. “As part of our ongoing work to monitor hedgehogs, we are deploying camera traps in woodland,” said Kate Scott-Gatty, research assistant for ZSL and London HogWatch. “In this area, these are usually triggered by the movement of common species such as foxes and badgers, so you can imagine our surprise to see a pine marten – a species normally only seen in Scotland and the north of England.” Pine ferrets are mobile animals, but it is not known if the animal caught on camera made its way naturally from the nearest known population in the New Forest 80 miles away, or if it had been released, possibly as part of an unofficial reintroduction effort. Pine ferrets could be interested in the London gray squirrel population as a food source. Photo: Mark Hamblin/2020Vision/Devon Wildlife Trust/PA Research in Northern Ireland has shown that pine ferrets usually avoid busy urban areas, but there is plenty of food in London, with gray squirrels a particularly easy target. Experts believe it is unlikely that he was targeting hedgehogs in the forest, although pine ferrets have been recorded taking young hedgehogs. Gamekeepers have historically targeted the species because it devours game: this led to the extinction of the species in England in the last century. But now, with persecution reduced, pine ferrets were spotted again in Northumberland in 2018 and the animals were reintroduced to the Forest of Dean in 2019 with further reintroductions planned for Exmoor and Dartmoor. ZSL said it would continue to monitor camera traps for signs of the ferret, which was pictured on July 3. If further images are taken, individual animals can be identified by the shape of the characteristic pale ‘bib’ on their chest. Start your day with the top stories from the US, plus the day’s must-reads from across the Guardian Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Dr Chris Carbone, senior research fellow at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, said: “Bringing wildlife back into an area can be a positive thing. It may mean that habitat quality is improving or natural food sources are increasing, but it is important to understand more. Re-introductions of any species should only be carried out by professionals, with appropriate controls – from assessment of habitat suitability to testing for disease.” The exact location of the sighting has not been revealed, but Elliot Newton, biodiversity officer at the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, said: “In other European countries pine ferrets have been recorded in urban settings. The individual captured on our cameras appears to be in good health and is a very welcome addition to our local fauna. We will continue to monitor for more sightings and continue our efforts to protect our environment.”
