I am an enthusiastic mammal-watcher, which is harder to be than
a bird-watcher because mammals are more visually elusive.
Tonight as I was walking through Yongji Park in Changwon, on the
south coast of South Korea, I saw a mustelid mammal that might
have been a feral ferret. But the coloration also matched the
Siberian Weasel, which is indigenous to Korea although probably
not common. Now, a public park in Changwon would seem to be an
unusual place to see this species, but the city is ringed by
mountains which would be a more natural habitat for it — if it
gets this far south; it is apparently more often encountered in
North Korea. Does anyone have any ideas about this? Is it
possible that I did see a Siberian Weasel? Or are feral ferrets
sometimes sighted in Korean parks? UPDATE: A respondent at
Animal Rescue Korea said that she has seen similar mustelids on
Jeju Island, which is off the south coast of South Korea. So if
the Siberian Weasel occurs there, it would probably occur in the
Changwon area as well.