Pine Marten invades football pitch...

[Mesquite]

A Pine Marten invades a Swiss football game the other day...
[video=youtube;WFT4-S8PxVc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFT4-S8PxVc[/video]

The write up of the incident...

An unruly pine marten invaded the pitch during a Swiss Super League match between Thun and Zurich, expertly evading capture by any means necessary.

After running across the pitch once, the animal returned seconds after the referee whistle play to continue. A small net was used to try and imprison it, but it broke free and again ran across the pitch before getting tackled by Zurich's Loris Benito. Desperate to break free, the furry pest bit Benito on the finger, but he held on and carried it off.
After Benito received treatment for his bloody finger, the marten returned yet again, but this time the goalkeeper grabbed him and was impervious to the bites thanks to his gloves. Finally, the marten was removed from the building, the match was able to continue and someone had the genius idea to add the Benny Hill theme to this video.
"In hindsight, it was obviously foolish of me (to try and catch it)," said Benito after the match. "Who knows what diseases the animal had. But I wanted to play the match and now I simply trust my immune system."
But since Zurich beat Thun 4-0, Benito isn't holding any hard feelings against the marten, suggesting that they make it their new mascot. "We have the lion. But the marten has brought us luck."

 

[Bushwhacker]

It's a Stone Marten.

 

[rik_uk3]

Are they good eating? Any recipe ideas?

 

[Goatboy]

You wouldn't get me making a grab for an enraged/crazy mustelidae, I like being able to count to 10 without taking my shoes off.

 

[Shewie]

That's quality, the crowds reaction is pretty funny

 

[ged]

Thank you for for that smile.

 

[Globetrotter.uk]

Loved it a great video.

 

[Elen Sentier]

You wouldn't get me making a grab for an enraged/crazy mustelidae, I like being able to count to 10 without taking my shoes off.

My feelings too !!! and is there such a thing as a "ruly" pine (or stone) marten ??? the first report-comment suggests there is But he was a gorgeous little beast

 

[Goatboy]

Elen,

The whole mustelidae family are so much fun to watch, I've a little stoat still in his winter ermine who hunts the bunnies in the graveyard on the hill at our village.He's like a white furry slinky. He knows I'm there but as long as I stay still will still hunt. Used to watch martins when I worked up north in the woods, which is why I didn't get too much work done some days. There was a family of otters who used to play in and around your legs when I used to fish on the estate down in Dumfries. You just reeled in the line when you saw them (no point and safer for them) and they would play all around you. What I've always wanted to see in the wild though is a Wolverine. Remember reading about them as a kid and just wishing we could go and see them, think they are fascinating, that combination of smarts, ferocity and size. One day.

 

[Niels]

If you look very closely, you can see it's fake

 

[munkiboi182]

there's a fair few of them along the river bure here in norfolk, unfortunately they've become a pest for the local wildlife and are being "controlled". live capture traps followed by a quick shot to the head and then vital stats being recorded and sent to the local authorities.

 

[Bushwhacker]

there's a fair few of them along the river bure here in norfolk, unfortunately they've become a pest for the local wildlife and are being "controlled". live capture traps followed by a quick shot to the head and then vital stats being recorded and sent to the local authorities.

Only in Norfolk.

 

[sandbender]

As the city of Budapest grew the Beech Martins all headed to the rooftops, I have several which live in and around the nearby loft spaces, they run along the roof ridge in the moonlight and scream at you if you lean out of your window to see them.

I think they live on pigeons and electrical cabling.

Crows, Jays and Magpies do not like them.

 

[Goatboy]

If you look very closely, you can see it's fake

Are you sure Niels? looks pretty convincing to me, though I believed the moonlanding footage!

GB.

 

[mrcharly]

there's a fair few of them along the river bure here in norfolk, unfortunately they've become a pest for the local wildlife and are being "controlled". live capture traps followed by a quick shot to the head and then vital stats being recorded and sent to the local authorities.

Are you sure you aren't talking about Mink?

 

[Niels]

Are you sure Niels? looks pretty convincing to me, though I believed the moonlanding footage!

GB.

Wait a minute. I looked it up. It's real: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/11/watch-pine-marten-bites-swiss-soccer-star-during-game/
I'm shocked. The footage looked so unreal to me I assumed it was fake.

 

[Goatboy]

Wait a minute. I looked it up. It's real: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/11/watch-pine-marten-bites-swiss-soccer-star-during-game/
I'm shocked. The footage looked so unreal to me I assumed it was fake.

I'd like to see a wolverine on the pitch

[video=youtube;dHV_U_HE6I8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHV_U_HE6I8[/video]

 

[Expat]

The newspaper obviously save money by using Google translate.....

"Marten has left the building....."

 

[HillBill]

Should have gave it the ball with the way it was going past defenders lol