This year the Vincent Wildlife Trust has released the results oftheir survey of the distribution and status of polecats Mustela putoriusin Britain, which took place between 2004 and 2006. The polecatis recovering from a serious decline caused by heavy culling in the late nineteenth century, with its population having shrunk to a stronghold in mid Wales by the early 1900s. Its distribution is expanding as this recovery takes place, helped by a later increase in the number of rabbits, post-myxomatosis, and the ability to use a range of habitats.

Polecats are native British mammals and are widespread in Europe. They belong to the weasel family (which includes otters, mink and badgers). Rabbits are their main prey but polecats also feed on small mammals, birds and amphibians.

The survey relied heavily on naturalists and the general public for records. Polecats are often confused with ferrets and wild-living polecat-ferrets, so visual evidence was required to make sure the record was correct. Photographs and carcasses were collected and the results show that the polecat’s expansion is continuing.

Pure polecat records were highest in Wales and 100% of verifiable records in Carmarthenshire were true polecats. The county is listed as a ‘Polecat Purity Zone 1’, the highest of three defined PPZ (over 95% verifiable records identified as true polecats).

Research has shown that, despite interbreeding with escaped or feral ferrets, pure polecats appear to have a competitive advantage that enables them to dominate over polecat-ferrets within their range or that female/juvenile polecat-ferrets are less successful at breeding/survival.

However reporting of polecats in Wales was low compared to otherareas. Was this down to recorder complacency in a traditional stronghold or lower densities of the animal? Records are still needed and should be sent to the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre: www.wwbic.org.uk. The full report from the Vincent Wildlife Trust can be obtained from www.vwt.org.uk.