Скачать или смотреть Meet Fidget My Wild Weasel | Rescued & Returned to the Wild | Robert E Fuller

This tiny weasel kit is just four weeks old and already it’s transforming the battered reputation of its species.

You can watch more on the weasel kits' rehabilitation journey in this series:    • Weasels & Stoats | Rescued & Returned to t...   and find more rescue films here:    • Rescued & Returned to the Wild ❤️ | Robert...  

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ABOUT THIS FILM
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Fidget the tiny weasel

The minute creature, which measures just 10cm and fits snugly in the palm of your hand, melted hearts when it appeared on a BBC news programme last week; setting it on a roll to become one of the tiniest TV stars.

Weasels are often vilified

Loathed by farmers and vilified in culture – the very word weasel means untrustworthy and they appear as villains in the children’s classic The Wind in the Willows – the species have a fearsome reputation as formidable predators and are traditionally despised as vermin.

But this particular critter is already turning the tide of opinion after endearing viewers when it appeared on BBC Look North’s TV newsroom sofa in my gentle grasp. I'm a wildlife artist and have had my research into wild weasels recently featured on BBC1’s Springwatch programme. It showed a gentler side to the species.

The weasel species

Weasels are very common mammals in Britain, but they are so tiny and so fast that it is very difficult to study them up closely. As a result not a lot is known about them.

This one was handed in to me after a member of public found it on a footpath in York. I have hand reared it since and I’ve discovered that they really are quite playful creatures.

Researching weasels

I use video surveillance cameras to monitor the secret lives of wildlife to research my paintings. I've been observing a wild family of weasels living in my garden so closely I even have footage of a female weasel nursing its kits inside a nest.

I discovered that during the first few weeks of their lives, female weasels move their new born kits every few days. I suspect that this little one was dropped during such a move.
Possibly the mother was disturbed because it is so close to a footpath and for whatever reason she wasn’t able to come back for him.

Weasels are fearless

There is no doubt that weasels are fearless animals, but you have to admire their tenacity and the way they have adapted to survive when you see just how small they are.
I've named the tiny weasel kit Fidget, for obvious reasons because its always on the move. It is growing well.

Caring for weasels

During his first few nights I would wake up in the night to make sure he was warm enough and fed, but he’s doing well now. I’ve built him a special box to live in.

Weasels tend to only live for about a year in the wild and I’m not sure whether Fidget will be able to survive having been raised in captivity. I’m undecided whether to try to release him once he has grown big enough– it might be kinder just to keep him. After all weasels need to be fearless hunters to survive and he’s just a softie.

ABOUT ME
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.

You may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here!

You can also follow me on these platforms:
Website: https://www.robertefuller.com
Facebook:   / robertefullerart  
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Instagram:   / robertefuller  

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© Robert E Fuller

Copyright Disclaimer: Please feel free to share my videos but do not download any content without permission with the intent to re-upload. If you would like to license any content, please get in touch: [email protected]

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