Marbled Polecats in Romania?

Does anyone have any ideas of how someone might see a Marbled Polecat in Romania: areas to look for them, or techniques to see them. My first thought would be spotlighting around Souslik colonies but any better ideas than that?

 

cheers

 

jon

7 Comments

  • Vladimir Dinets

    Nothing about Romania, but I recently got a tip from Kazakhstan. Interested?

    • Jon Hall

      Thanks. I had a specific request to find out more about Romania but I am sure others might be interested to know about Kazakhstan.

  • Billy

    I have only seen one in Georgia by coincidence. But I have knowledge of other observations in the same place which strongly suggest they are well present in that region. They are more active during daytime than other martens (like Striped we saw 7 of last week).

  • brugiere

    No idea. I go to Romania next June looking for Marbled and Steppe Polecat. I will concentrate near Sousliks colonies.

  • Vladimir Dinets

    For the last few years there was above-average precipitation on the southern side of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, so the numbers of gerbils and other rodents were very high, and I’ve just heard that it’ possible to see marbled polecats after 2-5 days of searching. They are almost strictly crepuscular/nocturnal in Kazakhstan due to high densities of eagles.

    I visited this area briefly in 1990 and saw many interesting mammals, but no polecats. There were very few gerbils that year, but lots of jerboas, and I found a desert dormouse near Mynaral on the W shore.

  • Lajos Nemeth-Boka

    Hi Jon, I had a bad luck to kill one with my car just right on the road led to Histria ruinfield in Dobrodgea, back in 2001. The specimen now is in a Museum of course. Here it must coexist with Steppe Polecat what I have seen several times near the same road, broad daylight. My buest guess is to visit Histria area and sit out with a Pulsar.
    Cheers, Lajos

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