Polecats have not in living memory been very common in Gloucestershire but are now believed to be increasing as the population rises in the west and Wales so that more animals are spreading eastwards into the county. In the GNS News of March 2014, John Field, the county Mammals Recorder appealed for members to “Keep an eye out for Polecats”.
In January 2014 Andrew Bluett found a road casualty near The Swan Inn at Coombe Hill; around the same period, another road casualty was found by Andrew Bluett and Juliet Bailey near Westbury on Severn, both were reported to John Field.
In the past couple of months, a GNS member has accidentally trapped Polecats in his garden near Woolaston, to the south-west of Lydney:
“On Thursday 20th October 2016 I caught a well-marked Polecat in a squirrel trap in our rural garden; it had entered the trap during the afternoon and was released unharmed. It looked well-marked, with dark paws and was in excellent condition. I weighed the trap with and without it with a small 7lb spring balance, the net weight of the Polecat being 1lb 12oz. The Polecat had a very strong smell.
On Sunday 6th November 2016 we caught a second Polecat in the garden – in the same trap but a different Polecat, as evidenced by the very different colouring/markings. This one had a paler head but still had a good mask and brown paws, again it was 1 lb 12 oz. Not nearly such a strong smell as the first one. I released it in the garden where it made a high speed dash for a hedgerow!
Our previous polecat records were daytime views on 8th August 2001 and 11th July 2002; we had not seen any since then until these recent animals appeared and none have triggered our infra-red ‘trail’ camera. Perhaps there are many more around than would seem from sightings?”
Polecats are wary of humans and are rarely seen alive, most sightings being road casualties. I had seen many such animals on extensive travels in mid and south Wales on business, often on the hard shoulder of the M4 between Chepstow and Swansea, occasionally I saw live animals in more rural areas in daylight. Clearly there are more to be seen and no doubt most are not reported, but if you see one, let us know, or send your records direct to John Field at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust or to GCER (Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records). If you come into direct contact with a Polecat that is alive, be very careful of handling it, they do bite, hard and deep…!
Road casualty, Coombe Hill, January 2014
Road casualty, Coombe Hill, January 2014
Woolaston Polecat No 1 – dark mask – the smelly one!
Woolaston Polecat No 2 – more distinct mask
Woolaston Polecat No 2 makes a dash for freedom after release