Robert Fuller had no clue when he built a jungle gym with a trampoline in his backyard that it would provide delight to more than just his children.
Hedgehogs, owls, foxes, badgers, and a family of stoats live on the land of the wildlife artist, who lives in Thixendale, North Yorkshire.
The stoats stayed to themselves most of the time, avoiding being out in the open. The trampoline, on the other hand, was too tempting for the lively animals to resist. Fuller told The Dodo, “I first observed a stoat on the trampoline in 2015.” “It was snowing, and I followed the stoat’s pawprints all the way up to and all over the trampoline!”
Fuller set up a network of over 80 remote cameras in his yard to track the stoats’ activities, and he was ultimately able to obtain a sight of them jumping on his trampoline.
“The trampoline was a perfect option for a camera when I constructed my video set-up a few years later, and I quickly had thrilling films of stoats jumping and having fun,” Fuller said. “The stoat kittens appear to congregate at the trampoline to play and have a good time!” They appear to enjoy the material’s texture and utilize it for bouncy playfights and stretching.”
Here’s a video of a small stoat having fun on the trampoline:
But the trampoline doesn’t only bring out the childlike joy in the stoat babies — it’s also used by the little animals as a kind of training ground to practice skills they’ll need as adults.
“The whole children’s climbing frame has been great for the kits to practice their hunting skills and even play a stoat version of hide-and-seek,” Fuller said.
Although the stoats have taken over the entire jungle gym, they do share it with owls, badgers, and other creatures on occasion.
Fuller isn’t opposed to sharing; he’s just pleased that he’s created the ideal habitat for his wild neighbors.
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