How rare are pine martens?
Because relatively little is known about pine martens in England and Wales, it is impossible to accurately estimate how many are left in the wild. They are thought to be the second rarest carnivore in Britain after the wildcat. As the wildcat is absent from England and Wales, pine martens are probably the rarest carnivore in these countries. The most recent pine marten survey of Ireland estimates a population of between 5 and 8,000 and in Scotland the population is estimated at between 2,600 and 3,500.
