Pine martens are ‘doing well’ after South West releases - Devon Wildlife Trust

Pine martens in the South West of England have begun to produce young and are ‘doing well’ since their recent reintroduction, say experts.

In autumn 2024, 15 pine martens were released at secret woodland locations on Dartmoor; while in autumn 2025 a further 19 animals were released at undisclosed spots on Exmoor. The reintroductions were the work of the Two Moors Pine Marten Project which is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project is led by the charity Devon Wildlife Trust and is a partnership between seven organisations: Dartmoor National Park Authority, Devon Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, Forestry England, National Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Woodland Trust.

Pine martens had been missing from the region for more than 100 years after having been hunted and trapped to extinction. The animals are the size of a small cat and like to climb trees in search of food which includes wild fruits, mice, grey squirrels, and other small prey.

Tracking collars given to each animal before release have allowed the project to monitor their progress.

Tracey Hamston is the Two Moors Pine Marten Project Lead. Tracey said: “The collars have meant we can track the animals’ movements. The results show that some pine martens stayed close to where they were released, but others travelled some distance, in a few cases more than 20 miles. The Dartmoor pine martens seem now to have settled forming their own individual territories. Some of the Exmoor animals still seem to be mobile but we’d expect most to settle and establish a territory soon. It’s been amazing to see where the pine martens have travelled since their release. We can see that they’ve been thoroughly exploring the landscape before settling into their new woodland homes.”