Pine Martens Together

It is that time of year again when we have to think about putting our pine martens together in the hope that they may breed. Pine martens are the only mammal we haven't successfully bred yet, and are well known for being difficult to breed in captivity.

Having had Bonnie and Clyde together for the last three years with no kits, many of you know I was planning on putting our younger male, Hamish, with Bonnie this year. Well, unfortunately time has raced away and I have left it a little late to safely put those two together, so I have moved on to plan B...

Once again, Clyde will be in with Bonnie, a safe match I don't have to worry about, and Clyde gets his one last bite at the cherry so to speak. If once again Bonnie doesn't have young, then Hamish will be introduced next year to hopefully spice things up and successfully mate with her. In the mean time, also this Summer, we will attempt to introduce Hamish with Buttons. He has had the run over her enclosure for the past few months, and they have met several times through the wire, so hopefully they will settle together for the mating period and we will have two chance of young next year.

The breeding season for pine martens is during July/August, when the female will only come into season for a short period. Therefore we have to have the pair together for these two months to catch this window. Once mated, or the end of August, we will separate them to avoid the risk of fighting.

Fingers crossed the rough mating will not go too far, and they will settle for long enough to tolerate each other and mate. The fingers crossed once more until next year, as pine martens have delayed implantation and so we will not know whether the females have successfully mated until Spring next year when they will be due.

It is no secret that I have a soft spot for the pine marten, and so I am sure you appreciate this time of year is always both exciting yet nerve racking at the same time. I will probably be around the marten enclosures for most of the weekend to make sure things are OK, and then will have another long wait in the hope that we have baby pine martens next year.

I will update you on their progress over the Summer, and more pine marten news to follow soon regarding their wild status...

Polecat Babies

Don't they grow fast! It was only last week when our little polecat kitts where still eyes closed, covered in a lot of pale fur, and now they are up and about exploring the big wide world... well... kind of...

Yesterday proved to be a busy day for our polecat mother, Velvet. Her 7 kitts are now at that age where they are starting to venture out of their nest and have a look around. Well, I say have a look around... they are still quite wobbly and nervous... so it is more like, venture out of the nest box, have a quick peek and then scream their head off until mum comes to take them home again!

One or two of the braver ones stayed out for a little longer, and even ventured far enough to circle the nest box, but were soon wanting to go back to the safety of their siblings.

It is a lovely age to watch the youngsters, at 5 and a half weeks old their eyes have only just opened. Weaning before their eyes open, means the kits are healthy and strong and looking for a new adventure.

For Velvet this led to a busy day. By the time she had brought one of the kitts back to the nest, another had worked it's way out and she had to set off again. By the end of the day she was happy to just drag them back anyhow and way... even by just grabbing the ear, ouch!

But she is a very good mother, and has now had two successful litters here. Being a young mum, this bodes well for the future too. All our kitts are part of a national breeding program, and so many of the ones you will see playing over the next few weeks will be released back in to suitable environments in the country.

In other good polecat news, our new pairing Casius and Mags have also had a litter of kits. Less than a week old now, but judging by the squeaks coming from the box we are guessing around 3 babies. Not bad for a first litter. Being together only a couple of months, seems like this pair didn't take much time getting to know each other.

BWC Web

There has been an update on our main British Wildlife Centre website. If you have not yet seen it, follow the link in the side bar on the right. It has just had an overall tidy and is hopefully now easier to navigate and find the information you want. Well done to Liza!

... and, I have had a lot of people show an interest in my photography recently, so for anyone who would like to see some of my photos you can look at my sister blog "Matt's Photos" by clicking on the hidden link in my photo to the right. You may also get to read a bit more news on the Centre and keepers there too!

So, not so this post is all dull and boring, here is a quick update on the most asked about animals currently...

Our barn owl chicks, "Big Pete" and "Kevin" (I know, I know, last time I get Leonie and Tom to name an animal.) are doing great. All joking aside, both keepers are doing a fantastic job in rearing their first owl, and will soon be making a start on their flying training. I got a bit of grief for labelling them as ugly in my first post on them, but look above... you have to admit they look a lot cuter now? And wait until they are fully grown... I will do a post on them growing up through the stages to prove my point!

Ellis has settled in very well, maybe a little too well. He has quickly become the dominant fox in his new pen, despite being half the size of Biscuit! After a nervous couple of weeks, he is now seen out regularly through out the day, and especially at feed times or when Katie is in view. We have started to use him for photography groups, along with our main foxes, and Ellis is already making a name for himself.

Most excitingly of all... Tamar and Gracie have settled down well together. It is often difficult to introduce new otters together, and Grace has a history of not accepting other male otters with her. So after the first few days of them squabbling with each other, we were a little nervous. However, on the 3rd day of them being together they were happily playing with each other and chasing each other through the water! Brilliant to see, and another of those sights I rarely tire of seeing.

This is great news as we can keep them together, and hopefully they will become a breeding pair. Fingers crossed, may even have otter cubs before the end of the year!