Pine marten kits have been born on Exmoor for the first time in around a century, marking a significant milestone for efforts to restore the species in Somerset. The births suggest the animals are beginning to re-establish a breeding population in an area where they had long disappeared.

The BBC reported the development in a video published eight hours ago, under its Somerset coverage. Pine martens are a protected native species whose numbers declined sharply in England through historical habitat loss and persecution, making successful breeding an important conservation indicator.