Apart from amphibians, I have a very keen interest in Mustelids, large and small, and their conservation. I have studied several British species (weasels and stoats), both in the wild and also in captivity, and I have also established and oversee a Mustelid Rescue that supports the care and return to the wild of injured or orphaned mustelids in the UK.
Below are 2 clips of a young stoat kit that had been orphaned when its mother and other siblings were killed by a fox, and it was handed on to me in the spring 2011. It was tiny when I first received it and I was very unsure whether it would survive. However, my sleep deprivation through the night with those early hourly milk feeds did finally pay off, the little guy survived and a few weeks ago I was able to release him back to the wild. I have to admit that I got very attached to this particular animal, but watching him bound off on that sunny summer’s eves was wonderful – he even stopped, stood high on his back legs in the long grass, and looked back at me in stillness for a moment, as if to help lighten my heavy heart.
Below are a couple of clips of the largest mustelid, the wolverine, filmed when I visited the Swedish Conservation Centre, Norden’s Ark:
Oh my goodness I LOVE mustalids!!! I used to rescue ferrets a few years ago and we had a young female who gave birth the first night we had her! despite her being completely blind she was an amazing mum and even used to swap us a kit for a chunk of tuna!!