Polecats are Back! The Return of Britain’s Beautiful Bandits

Polecats are a bit bigger than stoats, and are recognisable by their dark “bandit mask” across their eyes.  Once confined to Wales, they are now commonly found on moors, farmland and bogs in central and southern England. Dr. Orton investigates the return of our countryside bandits!

This is part of our rewilding series, a comprehensive guide to some of Britain’s rarest species with links to academic literature. For a quicker, more accessible read, you can read our posts about the nocturnal animals that live in our woods or our baby tawny owls!

Polecats (mustela putorius) are native mustelids that used to be widespread in Britain. Unfortunately, their taste for chicken and game led to their persecution by humans and they were pushed to near extinction during the 19th century. Fortunately, they are making a comeback.

Polecats can live in a variety of habitats, but prefer lowland habitats, such as farmlands, woodlands (particularly woodland edges), marshes and riverbanks. 

The little mustelids often make their dens in rabbit burrows in summer, but in winter they often move into hay bales and under sheds in farmyards. Polecats territories that vary in size according to habitat and food availability: they could range from 40 acres to well over a hundred.

Polecats are carnivorous: bunnies are the most important part of polecat’s diet, followed by other mammals, amphibians, birds and even earthworms. although the amount of each may vary seasonally. They eat more rabbits in spring and summer, whereas rats are preferred in winter. 

Baby polecats are called kits! Polecats mate during February and March and 5-10 kits are born between May and June. The kits stay with their mother for two to three months and disperse from August-October, being ready to breed in their first year.

The polecat’s Latin name mustela putorius (“foul-smelling musk bearer”) refers to the scent emitted from its anal scent gland when it is injured or frightened.

Polecats are Back!

Polecats used to be widespread in Britain. They were our third most common carnivore during the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age, 11,600-4000 years ago with an estimated population of 110,055.

However, they were persecuted by humans during the 18th and 19th centuries, partly because they were seen as a threat to poultry and game birds. Our English word “polecat” might reflect the French “poule-chat” (“chicken-cat”) because of the polecat’s taste for chicken. By the early 20th century, the polecat had been eliminated from Britain except parts of mid Wales, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

The good news for polecats is that gin traps (leg-hold traps) were banned in 1958, and persecution of pole cats declined in the twentieth century. Rabbit populations recovered after the myxomatosis disease epidemic of the mid- 20th century, giving the polecats plenty of prey. They were also helped by the presence of woodland across the UK landscape. 

Today, the little mustelids can be found in mid-Wales, central and southern England and even small populations in northwest England and parts of Scotland where it has been reintroduced.

There are still some threats to polecat recovery. A team from the Vincent Wildlife Trust and the University of Exeter, headed by Katherine Sainsbury surveyed polecat diets over fifty years of polecat recovery. They found that two potential risks to recovery are fluctuations in rabbit numbers and secondary exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides that have contaminated their prey. Another threat to polecats traffic accidents, particularly during the mating season and juvenile dispersal.

Having said this, biologists are optimistic that the polecat will re-establish itself and thrive in mainland Britain!

Polecats, Ferrets and Mink

Polecats have a long slim body, short legs and dark fur, with a paler undercoat and lighter guard hairs (finer hairs against the skin) showing through (especially in winter). Their most distinctive feature is a ‘bandit mask’ across their eyes, contrasting with their paler cheek patches. The fur around their muzzles is also pale, although true polecats have a dark strip of fur connecting the mask to the nose. 

Polecats are often confused with ferrets and the polecat-ferret hybrid. That’s because the domestic ferret originates from polecats and the two species can interbreed and produce fertile hybrid offspring. Hybrids usually have paler fur and less distinct facial markings.

Mitochondrial DNA suggests that polecat-ferret hybrids can be over 30% of the population outside Wales, and they are more prevalent at the edge of the polecat’s range.

Polecats don’t tend to compete with our other native mustelids, as they don’t climb as much as pine martens or swim like otters.

However, the polecat’s relationship with invasive species is less clear. One study on the relationship between polecats and the invasive American mink  found that in autumn, when both species hold stable home ranges, individuals tended to have overlapping ranges, both within and between species. However,  other evidence suggests that American mink might hurt female polecat numbers.

If the American mink were to be driven out of polecat territories, this would help water voles and wetland birds. Whatever the case, polecat presence can help other native wildlife because of their taste for rats, reducing the number of predators on eggs or chicks.

Literature and Myth

Shakespeare used the term ‘polecat’ as an insult in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Ancient Greek writer Antoninus Liberalis wrote in his Metamorphoses about Galinthias, who tried to help Alcmene as she gave birth to Heracles. Heracles was the result of Zeus’ infidelity to Hera who, in her jealousy, had convinced the Moirai (Fates) and Eileithyia, (a Cretan Goddess) to keep Alcmene in continuous birth pangs. Galinthias deceived the goddesses into thinking that the baby had already been born, breaking the spell and freeing Alcmene from her pain. Galinthias was turned into a polecat as punishment and Antoninus Liberalis gives some pretty outrageous descriptions of Galinthias mating and giving birth in her new form. In this story, the witch-goddess Hekate felt sorry for her and adopted her as a sacred servant to herself. When Heracles grew up, he offered sacrifices to Galinthias’ image by his house, a tradition carried on by the Thebans at the festival of Heracles.

Roman-born Greekophone Aelian wrote in On the Characteristics of Animals that the Sorceress Gale was turned onto a polecat  (“land-marten”) when she angered the witch-goddess Hekate. Aelian brings out some of the harshest stereotypes about polecats: he says they are “incontinent,” “afflicted with abnormal sexual desires” and “set upon human corpses.” But this kind of outrageous claim is normal in Aelian’s work – Aelian makes some astonishing assertions about beavers in book six of  On the Characteristics of Animals!

How to Spot a Polecat

Spotting a polecat is a challenge. They’re nocturnal and they don’t leave many distinctive field signs. Tracks are similar to other carnivores, particularly pine marten and mink: they are five-toed and of a similar size. 

Even polecat scat (poop) is hard to find! If you do think you’ve found polecat scat, it will be curly (like all mustelid scat). It will be dark – black, even and will smell unpleasantly like rotting meat. It’s easily confused with American mink scat, except that polecat scat is unlikely to contain fish; also it might contain some plant material. You might find hair and bits of bone. 

Your best chance of spotting a polecat is seeing one run across the road at night; otherwise they might appear in gardens if food is left out for foxes or hedgehogs.

We think we might have snapped a polecat when our wildlife camera was set to photo only in our Victorian spinney. It’s a bit hard to tell as the it’s not a whole head shot. See if you think we’re right!

Possible pole cat?

September 2025 Update: we have polecats!

September 2025 polecat sighting

In our next post, read about pine martens, acrobats of Britain’s ancient wildwood!

Find Out More

If you’re interested in conservation and wildlife, we have a blog series on British wildlife and a series on the people and wildlife of South Asia, from the altitudes of the Himalayas to the dense mangrove forests of Bangladesh!

We also offer online private tuition in our interdisciplinary course, Culture and Conservation, in which you can explore the links between our natural and cultural heritage and study wildlife and cultures from across the world! This is a template of a possible study route and can be combined, adapted, or designed from scratch to suit your interests and goals.

Dr. Orton will work with you to design a course of private tutorials tailored to your needs, ability and schedule. Click the link to find out what it’s like to work with her and contact us to find out more!

Do More

For those who would like to take action to preserve our wild spaces, there’s plenty you can do. If you're lucky enough to have some land, you could plant a wood from scratch (click the link to read about how we are planting our own native woodland). Even if you don’t have a big garden, there are plenty of things you can do to help biodiversity in your area. Why not put up a solitary bee nesting box or insect home, create a woodpile as a habitat for small creatures or leave small areas of your garden to go wild?

Think about your own area and how you can protect vulnerable but important parts of your own environment. You might even want to start your own project investigating the cultural importance of wildlife in your area. Dr. Orton works with independent scholars undertaking their own research for an independent project, people writing a book or simply those who have a personal interest. Click the link to find out what it’s like to work with her and contact us to get started!

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