Is the marten a nationally protected animal? Understanding the relevant legal provisions in one article

The marten is an animal that everyone is fairly familiar with, and quite a few farmers even raise martens. So is the marten a nationally protected animal? Can it be kept?

1. Is the marten a nationally protected animal?

The marten is a key protected animal, and a few rare species, such as the sable, are Class I nationally protected animals. Killing, private keeping and hunting are strictly prohibited. The marten exists because it is unique, not for the sake of others. We can admire it, but we cannot wish to possess it, including its fur.

2. Can martens be farmed?

The so-called “farmed marten” and “mink” do not actually belong to the marten family and have nothing to do with the biological marten, so they can be farmed. The marten has well-developed anal sacs. The anal sac glands can produce secretions with a special odor; the marten has no cecum and a very short small intestine (four times the body length), and its stomach is also very small. The above characteristics determine that the marten needs small, frequent meals, with an average daily food intake of 40-53 grams, and a feeding interval of 3 hours each time; artificially raised martens live no more than 4-5 years. Wild martens have several subspecies, and the color of their skin and eyes varies, mostly light brown hands and dark brown; artificially raised ones are mostly dark brown.

3. Selection of breeding martens

To raise breeding martens well, the selected breeding martens should have glossy fur, consistent back and belly fur color, relatively short guard hairs, even guard hair tips and underfur, high density, even distribution, soft fur, good elasticity, and guard hairs slightly longer than the underfur; sables have no white guard hairs or white spots. Such martens have good fur quality.

The marten is a protected animal and cannot be kept or killed at will. Therefore, farming it requires careful handling.