Pine martens in Scotland and Ireland adapt their diet seasonally, and their welfare during winter depends on sufficient prey diversity and habitat to sustain foraging through cold months.
Pine marten welfare in winter is determined by the prey availability across their expanded winter range. Individuals unable to maintain sufficient energy intake in cold conditions deteriorate rapidly, with juveniles from their first winter most vulnerable to starvation. Habitat fragmentation that prevents access to diverse foraging areas forces individuals into suboptimal territories with inadequate prey diversity. Secondary rodenticide poisoning through vole prey causes internal bleeding and death - a welfare concern growing as rodenticide use in forestry and agriculture increases. Conservation actions maintaining habitat connectivity and reducing rodenticide use directly benefit individual pine marten welfare.