After being absent for decades, pine martens are now present across the New Forest and successfully breeding here according to the results of a three-year study into these rare creatures. Conservationists placed 30 hidden cameras in 11 different parts of the New Forest to observe how these protected creatures are returning to the area.

Pine martens, a cat-sized member of the weasel family, were once widespread across the UK before habitat loss and persecution left only small and fragmented populations, mostly in northern England, Scotland, and parts of Wales.

The study began after a number of reports of public sightings suggested pine martens may have returned to the New Forest. Led by Forestry England and Wild New Forest, with support from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, it aims to understand how these rare creatures are settling here and the size of the population.