Our strange encounter with a French pine marten

To the Editor,

We have had a pine marten (martre) living in our disused pigeonnier for some years now. We used to have a couple (despite what the internet tells us, they were devoted to each other), but sadly one of them was killed on the road.

Occasionally, we would spot the survivor running up a wall or wandering over the roof.

In June, however, when the temperature reached the early 40s, our cat started chasing an animal on the ground. It was the pine marten behaving very oddly. It was running around in circles.

It did not seem scared of the cat, nor of my husband and me. In fact, it approached me.

I thought it might be suffering from thirst, so I shut the cat indoors and set out a bowl of water, some fruit and two eggs.

It continued to run wildly round in circles but briefly stopped to drink and then disappeared for the day. I saw it the next day, but it did not touch the food.

Can anyone explain its behaviour? I asked a friend who is a vet, but he had never heard of anything like it.

C.R., Allier

Editor’s note: We asked a vet from the Centre Vétérinaire de la Faune Sauvage et des Écosystèmes in Nantes, who said: “It is difficult to be definitive without having examined the animal or even seen it, but this behaviour suggests involvement of the central nervous system.

Several causes could be at play, including trauma and infections. It is also possible, though less likely, that hyperthermia (overheating) could be responsible.”

Have you had any surprising encounters with French wildlife? Share your experience at letters@connexionfrance.com