Reintroduced pine martens produce young on Dartmoor

PINE martens reintroduced to Dartmoor have produced their first young, with camera-trap footage capturing shots of kits scampering through woodland.

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Conservationists behind the project to return pine martens to the south west of England after a 100-year absence have said they were “ecstatic” to see the reintroduced animals had successfully bred.

The discovery comes after 15 pine martens - eight females and seven males - were released at undisclosed Dartmoor locations in autumn 2024, as part of efforts to restore the species to the area.

Pine martens were once common in the South West, but were hit by the loss of their woodland habitat and by human persecution, conservationists said.