You have a fish pond in the garden and suddenly there are no fish? A cat is probably not behind it, they are very afraid of water. But could it have been a marten? Do martens go into the water at all? Find out below whether martens can swim.
Martens are very good swimmers
Can martens swim?
The answer is a clear: yes. Martens can swim very well, which unfortunately means that fish are not safe from them. In addition to the real marten, of which the stone and pine martens are the most common, there are other species of the marten family that like to steal fish from the pond:
- otter
- badgers
- ermines
- weasel
- Polecat
Etc.
Keep martens away from the pond
If a marten discovers that there are delicious fish to be found in your pond, it is not unlikely that it will come back. Therefore, you should think about a defense system. While barbed fences are an option, they don't look pretty and can injure people and animals. The situation is similar with electric fences.
A better option is therefore electric fences or scarecrows, preferably with motion detectors. Since martens are mainly active at night, they can also be scared away with light.
tips
Special ultrasonic devices are also available from specialist retailers, which emit a noise that we cannot hear, which keeps martens and other animals away. Before you buy, find out if the sound bothers your fish!