A pine marten has been spotted near Gwyn Mynydd gold mine, DolgellauAn appeal is being issued for the public's help in proving that one of the UK's most elusive creatures, the pine marten, is hiding out in Snowdonia's forests.
A cat-sized mammal with rich brown fur, a cream chest and prominent ears, the pine marten is very rarely seen in the wild.
The shy mammal may have been spotted in woods between Waunfawr and Llanberis, but experts would like to confirm this by collecting samples of its DNA for analysis.
Laura Jones from Gwynedd Council's biodiversity team said: "The pine marten is a shy mammal, often active at night in dense woodlands.
"Because of their elusive nature, they are incredibly difficult to spot and sightings are very rare.
"But there have been a couple of possible pine marten sightings in the Bwlch y Groes area.
"This is why we are working on this project to find out more."
Volunteers can attend a meeting in Waunfawr on 20 JanuaryWhilst the pine marten was once common, woodland clearances, trapping and persecution over the centuries meant that it had disappeared over much of lowland Britain by the beginning of the 20th century.
Today it survives only in a scattering of sites outside of Scotland - one of these being Snowdonia.
Good quality woodland areas with holes in older trees for dens and plenty of food such as fruit, fungi, nuts, birds' eggs and small mammals are ideal.
DNA can be collected by undertaking a scat survey, collecting pine marten droppings, and by erecting baited hair tubes in the hope that pine martens will clamber into the tubes in search of a meal and leave behind a hair or two.
The public will be instructed on how to help check the hair tubes and keep an eye out for pine martens in a talk at Y Sgubor, Antur Waunfawr, on Thursday, 20 January between 7pm and 8.30pm.
All information gathered will be collated by the Vincent Wildlife Trust which has been monitoring numbers of pine martens across the UK.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
BBC - Help spot Gwynedd's elusive pine marten
via news.bbc.co.uk
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