Pine martens sent in to help red squirrels

PINE martens which hunt grey squirrels have been reintroduced into the Lake District to bolster struggling native red squirrels' survival battle.

- Chris Riches

A relative of the weasel, pine marten numbers declined through persecution and habitat loss and since 1900 have plummeted in England to the point of almost extinction.

They feast on easy-to-catch grey squirrels with the lighter reds able to escape by darting to higher, thinner branches.

The red is part of Cumbria's natural and cultural heritage but the species is dying out and threatened by squirrel pox virus - a deadly disease transmitted by non-native greys.