A rare glimpse of two pine martens playing together on the Longleat estate has raised hopes that one of Britain’s most elusive mammals may be preparing to put down deeper roots in Wiltshire.
The pair were captured on camera exploring a tree stump within the estate’s woodland, a sight that conservationists say is both encouraging and unusual. Pine martens are famously difficult to spot, and footage of two animals interacting is a rare prize.
Longleat’s conservation team believes the first pine marten recorded on the estate in 2024 may have arrived of its own accord, dispersing naturally from the New Forest rather than as part of a formal reintroduction scheme. The appearance of a second animal has now sparked cautious optimism that the woodland could support a breeding pair.
Dr Tom Lewis, conservation and research manager at Longleat, said the discovery was a significant moment.
“To now have two is simply fantastic,” he said. “We’re very much keeping everything crossed that they might start a family.”
Once widespread across Britain, pine martens were pushed close to extinction by the early 20th century due to habitat loss and persecution. Their numbers have remained fragile ever since, particularly in England and Wales, where the species is listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List of Britain’s Mammals.
“They are notoriously elusive creatures,” Dr Lewis added. “To see two playing together like this is incredible.”
The sightings form part of a wider research project being carried out in partnership with Hartpury University. Academics Dr Peter Roberts, Dr Ben Klinkenberg and Dr Anthony Lowney are working alongside the Longleat team to better understand how pine martens and other mammals are using the estate’s woodlands.
As part of the study, camera traps have been deployed across the estate for a year, capturing activity across a range of habitats. The footage has already revealed a rich mix of wildlife, with pine martens emerging as one of the most exciting finds.
For more than four decades, Longleat’s woodland has been managed using continuous cover forestry, a long-term approach that avoids large-scale clear felling and supports diverse, layered habitats. This method has helped create conditions well suited to native species, including mammals that depend on complex woodland structure.
Recent successful re-establishments of pine marten populations in the New Forest and the Forest of Dean have added further significance to the Longleat sightings. With the estate lying roughly between the two areas, conservationists see it as a potential stepping stone that could help reconnect populations across the wider landscape.
Habitat improvements carried out in recent years have made the woodland increasingly attractive to pine martens, offering shelter, food sources and safe movement through the forest.
Dr Peter Roberts of Hartpury University said the collaboration was already yielding valuable insights.
“We’re excited to have established this project with Longleat,” he said. “Our aim is to understand how many martens are present and how they move through the landscape, both spatially and over time.
“So far, we’ve been regularly recording two animals at multiple locations across the estate. With a bit of luck, we may even catch sight of kits before the project concludes later this year.”
