23 August 2024

Almost four years ago, artist and photographer Robert E. Fuller posted this video of a baby wild stoat playing on a trampoline in his garden in the U.K.

Stoats, known as ermine (Mustela ermina) or short-tailed weasels in the U.S, have a circumpolar distribution and are present in Pennsylvania, though maybe not in the southwestern corner. Though small, they are fierce predators that can kill prey four times their size. They are also very cute when they play.

Fuller has observed wild stoats for many years at his home in Yorkshire. The baby stoat that played on the trampoline in autumn 2020 appears to have started a trend. His video posted in July 2021 shows mother and kits at the same playground.

Yes, they are very cute, but … wild weasels are not good pets and it is illegal to keep them without a wildlife permit. If you want a pet weasel, get a ferret.