Surprise sighting of pine marten in Cornwall

## Summary
Surprise sighting of pine marten in Cornwall 12 minutes ago Share Save Jonathan Morris South West Share Save Kernow Conservation/Trewithen Estate A pine marten is spotted on the Trewithen Estate in Cornwall A pine marten has been caught on camera in Cornwall in what conservationists hope could be the start of a comeback in the county. Kernow Conservation recorded the creature during routine monitoring on the Trewithen Estate, near Truro, where staff have been working to restore native wildlife. PA Media Pine martens were successfully reintroduced to Dartmoor in 2024 Pine martens were once common in the South West, but a loss of their woodland habitat and human persecution caused their extinction, conservationists said. More on this story 'Historic moment' as pine marten kits born Pine martens released to be reintroduced to Devon Information sessions ahead of pine marten release 'Positive sign' as pine martens released on Exmoor Related internet links Cornwall Wildlife Trust Kernow Conservation Conservation Cornwall Wildlife

## Article Content
Surprise sighting of pine marten in Cornwall
12 minutes ago
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Jonathan Morris
South West
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Kernow Conservation/Trewithen Estate
A pine marten is spotted on the Trewithen Estate in Cornwall
A pine marten has been caught on camera in Cornwall in what conservationists hope could be the start of a comeback in the county.
Kernow Conservation recorded the creature during routine monitoring on the Trewithen Estate, near Truro, where staff have been working to restore native wildlife.
The footage was captured on a camera which was set up to track reintroduced water voles.
Nellie Kottler, from the estate, said the team had been "utterly staggered" by the discovery.
PA Media
Pine martens were successfully reintroduced to Dartmoor in 2024
Pine martens were once common in the South West, but a loss of their woodland habitat and human persecution caused their extinction, conservationists said.
The animals can be found in Scotland and Ireland, with reintroductions in Cumbria, the Forest of Dean,
Dartmoor and Exmoor
.
"We have been utterly staggered to see one," said Kottler.
"At this stage, we don't yet know whether the animal is a transient visitor or resident to the area.
"We'll be continuing monitoring in the coming weeks to better understand its presence, potentially even whether it could be part of a breeding pair."
Kernow Conservation said pine martens' "gradual recovery across the UK means moments like this could become more common, but seeing one here, now, is something truly special".
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Five facts about pine martens
Pine martens are mustelids, meaning they are related to weasels, badgers, otters and polecats
They like eating bilberries, rowan berries and blackberries
Length: 18.1–21.3ins (46-54cm)
Weight: 1.98-4.85lb (0.9-2.2kg)
Average lifespan: up to eight years
They are exceptional climbers, living in tree holes, old squirrel dreys or even old bird nests
Source: Cornwall Wildlife Trust
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More on this story
'Historic moment' as pine marten kits born
Pine martens released to be reintroduced to Devon
Information sessions ahead of pine marten release
'Positive sign' as pine martens released on Exmoor
Related internet links
Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Kernow Conservation
Conservation
Cornwall
Wildlife

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
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### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- Surprise sighting of pine marten in Cornwall 12 minutes ago Share Save Jonathan Morris South West Share Save Kernow Conservation/Trewithen Estate A pine marten is spotted on the Trewithen Estate in Cornwall A pine marten has been caught on camera in Cornwall in what conservationists hope could be the start of a comeback in the county.
- The animals can be found in Scotland and Ireland, with reintroductions in Cumbria, the Forest of Dean, Dartmoor and Exmoor . "We have been utterly staggered to see one," said Kottler. "At this stage, we don't yet know whether the animal is a transient visitor or resident to the area. "We'll be continuing monitoring in the coming weeks to better understand its presence, potentially even whether it could be part of a breeding pair." Kernow Conservation said pine martens' "gradual recovery across the UK means moments like this could become more common, but seeing one here, now, is something truly special".

### Expert Commentary
This article covers pine, martens, cornwall topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 379.