Beech Marten (Stone Marten) – Martes foina

The original distribution of the beech marten is twofold. It is widely distributed in Europe and, on the other hand, it is found in mountainous regions in Central Asia. Closest to Finland, the beech marten is found in Estonia. As far as is known, they do not naturally exist in the St. Petersburg area, but the line from Tallinn to Moscow is probably the northern boundary of the species' occurrence.

The species is not endangered, and in the IUCN classification it is listed as Least Concern (2015). Beech martens thrive on culture more clearly than European pine martens. They are also found in forests and rocky environments, and intensive agriculture hinders its livelihood. The beech marten also thrives in suburban areas, especially if suitable nesting holes are found there.

In October 2017, an animal that was first mistaken for a pine marten came to a local restaurant in the center of Kotka. It was very tame and thin. A local animal welfare advisor took over the animal. The intention was to return the animal to the wild once it has recovered. However, the photographs clearly showed that the animal was a beech marten. At some point, the animal had escaped from its care cage, and the dogs in the house had killed this first beech marten met in Finland.

The origin of the beech marten is unknown. The tameness would suggest that it had been a pet. Nowadays Russians tend to keep all kinds of muscalids as pets (cf. e.g. sable). It is therefore possible that the animal has been a pet which had escaped from tourists. Another option is that it had come from Estonia in a truck; however, the tameness of the animal does not support this option.