Wildlife Trust slams Athlone MD's call to have protected pine marten ‘de-listed'

The Irish Wildlife Trust has condemned Athlone Municipal District’s call for the pine marten to be de-listed as a protected species.

It comes after Cllr Tom Farrell tabled a motion to have a “debate opened up” following an incident in which a pine marten entered his home in Walderstown, Athlone, during the summer months, during a time when his three grandchildren aged four, two and 11-months, were in the house.

He made the call to have the species “removed from the protected list so that its population can be controlled in keeping with good practice”.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Cllr Farrell explained how he believed the pine marten population is growing out of control.

“The three grandkids were in the house, my son was doing a bit of work for me at the time, and I was outside. The radio was on and next thing I heard this commotion coming from inside. It had gotten in through an open window and into the sitting room,” explains Cllr Farrell.

“It got up on the sofa and went around the whole room. We got the grandkids outside as quickly as we could - they’re only four, two and 11 months.”

The FG man says upon further investigation, he discovered that the local wildlife population had taken a dip since the spike in the population of the pine marten.

“Forestry is their natural habitat, but there’s no forests near us. A neighbour of mine had one in his attic - they can climb walls - another neighbour had one jump out of the wheelie bin at him. Actually, I’ve had numerous phone calls about them. The local gun club say all the pheasants are being killed off, while people’s chickens are being taken.” Despite all this Cllr Farrell says he does not want to see them killed off completely.

“I know the pine marten is a protected species, they have been protected for years, but their population is increasing to such an extent that they’re leaving their natural habitat and I think we need to open up a discussion about how to manage them. They can’t be getting into people’s houses.”

“That why I made the call at the Athlone Municipal District,” he says. 

The Athlone MD has formally requested that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Culture, Heather Humphreys TD, in conjunction with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), to remove this species from the protected list so that its population can be controlled in keeping with good practice and in the best interest of other wildlife species and society generally.”

In response, the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has condemned the call by Athlone Municipal District Council, calling it a “cull”, adding the pine martens’ return to “nearly every county in Ireland is one of our great conservation success stories”.

“The pine marten is a cat-sized carnivore which feeds predominantly on berries and invertebrates. Having been nearly wiped out during the 20th century, its return to nearly every county in Ireland is one of our greatconservation success stories,” begins a statement from the Irish Wildlife Trust.

“This success should be celebrated and it is unfortunate that some see our natural heritage as little more than vermin which must be ‘controlled’. There is currently no good reason to remove protection for the pine marten.”

IWT campaigns officer, Pádraic Fogarty added that “at a time when wildlife across Ireland is under such tremendous pressure it is sad and dismaying that such little tolerance is being shown by the members of Athlone Municipal District Council”.

“We cannot have a situation where shooting our wildlife is out of control to the detriment of long-term conservation. The pine marten is not only a beautiful animal but an important part of countryside ecosystems,” said Mr Fogarty. “The IWT will continue to resist any move to weaken legal protections for the pine marten.”