Wild ferrets/polecats

[PhilipB]

My father and I were discussing this over coffee this AM.

We said we rarely see wild polecats. Why is this, when there are heaps of rabbits for them to eat?

why can farmers not establish pole-cat colonies as a form of rabbit control? (there must be a good reason or everyone would be doing it)

 

[deleted user 837354]

My bet is they were pretty much wiped out by game keepers and are still a rare sight in Britain except in the most remote or untouched habitats. Same as pine martens and the like. When was the last time you saw a stoat or weasel?

 

[MRT]

Go out at night with a lamp. Plenty around Monmouthshire at least

 

[Rogue male]

Plenty about they're just good at not being seen

 

[haymaker80]

We had a couple in a straw barn we cleared out 3 years ago and saw a couple dead on the road the same winter. Had never seen any before and not seen any since

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

I've a couple on the road over the years, but could have been feral ferrets.

They are easy to trap, but a bigger factor will be them getting out-competed for food by badgers & mink.

 

[ImLost]

They are a real pest as they can do as much damage as a fox in a night to a pen of pheasants or run of chickens.
I had a ferret escape once, the destruction it caused in the neighbourhood in a couple of hours was unreal!! A very expensive ferret in the end.

Please don't start releasing them!

 

[Treecreeper]

My lad sees them crossing the road by the off farm regularly whilst returning late night, saw a road casualty myself a few days ago. They seem to being doing ok around here which is good because we've not had many rats around last winter.

 

[MRT]

They are a real pest as they can do as much damage as a fox in a night to a pen of pheasants or run of chickens.
I had a ferret escape once, the destruction it caused in the neighbourhood in a couple of hours was unreal!! A very expensive ferret in the end.

Please don't start releasing them!

I used to keep a few hens next to the ferrets, incase of escape I knew they wouldn't go far! Thankfully security was always good enough

 

[Spencer]

We had a Stoat playing on lawn other week.. was lovely to see.

 

[Dry Rot]

I had a "tame" weasel in the house for a while until it found it's way out. No trouble with mice. It would run up the curtains as fast as it could run across the carpet. Never tried to bite.

 

[Nukemall]

We had a Stoat playing on lawn other week.. was lovely to see.

January this year.

 

[Kidds]

Plenty of both polecats and rabbits here. I don't think they do much to the rabbit population.

 

[tinsheet]

Followed a pole cat down our lane, had a baby rabbit in it's mouth!
Stoats weasels seen every now and again

 

[Beames]

We used to have a couple living round the yard somewhere. But haven’t seen them for a while come to think of it.

 

[Dry Rot]

Don't worry, someone will be reintroducing pine martins somewhere near you quite soon. They are basically a super sized polecat that climbs trees, as we know to our cost up here in Scotland.

First signs of success in bid to reintroduce pine martens to England

Conservationists say at least three females have produced offspring in the Forest of Dean

www.theguardian.com