A NEW DEDICATED website about pine martens in Ireland has been set up as a result of an increasing number of calls to wildlife services from the general public enquiring about the mammal.
Although now present in every county, the pine marten is still one of Ireland’s rarest mammals and is legally protected. The website has been created with the support of a grant from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
The pine marten is a cat-sized carnivore, which feeds predominantly on berries and invertebrates.
Speaking of why the website has been set up, Dr Kate McAney of the Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) said: “Both VWT and NPWS have been dealing with an increasing number of calls from the general public seeking information and advice about the pine marten, so we decided the best way to make this available was via a dedicated website.”
In addition to providing facts on identification, distribution, habitat and ecology, the website offers practical advice on, for example, how to deal with a pine marten in an attic, and presents videos that show how to keep the animal out of pheasant pens, hen houses and wheelie bins.
Once common in Ireland, by the 20th century the species had become extinct from most of the country. It only survived in a few isolated areas, mainly in the west.
The pine marten population in Ireland began to build back up again following the introduction of legal protection in 1976.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, McAney explained why more humans are coming into contact with pine martens in recent times: “They’re recovering from a very, very low number. Since they were more common, obviously there has been a lot of habitats, so there are fewer woodlands for them to live in.
They’re curious, intelligent animals and they’ll seek out places to live and sources of food. Inevitably, that then causes them to come into contact more with humans.”
Finding a pine marten in your home
So, as noted above, pine martens can sometimes find their way into the attics of homes.
However, homeowners are not advised to catch the animal themselves.
The pine marten is currently protected in Ireland by national and international legislation. Under the Irish Wildlife Act, it’s an offence to trap or kill a pine marten, or to destroy or disturb its resting places, without a licence.
McAvey said the first thing a person should do if they find a pine marten in their attic, or anywhere in their home, is to contact the NPWS.
“The first call you should make is to the NPWS because what you do depends on the time of year, whether it’s a female or whether it’s just a young, non-breeding animal,” McAvey said.
For example, due to the risk of a female marten abandoning her kits if disturbed, no action should be taken to exclude or deter a pine marten from a building between the months of March to July without first contacting the NPWS.
Any action to remove the pine marten from your home without first consulting with your local ranger could constitute an offence under the Wildlife Acts.
From there, the local ranger will be able to advise on what steps need to be taken.
“Generally, it’s a case of waiting for the animal to leave and then blocking up holes it used to get in,” McAvey said.
“They normally just enlarge existing holes, so if a house is in perfectly good condition they’re not going to start ripping it apart,” she said.
“It’s just if they’re mooching around and they spot an opening, they’ll take advantage of it.”
More information about what to do if a pine marten enters your home can be found here.
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