A RARE golden-patch mole has been unearthed in the Borders.

The unusually-marked creature was discovered by catcher Rob Pringle near Galashiels..

And he hopes to track down a taxidermist to preserve his once-in-a-lifetime find.

The 76-year-old retired shepherd from Selkirk has been trapping moles on and off since his school days.

But this is the first time he’s ever encountered one with patches of golden fur.

Rob, who has caught 122 moles since February, told us: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I went to check the traps.

“I have heard of a golden mole being caught in the Borders a few years ago but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one.

“My father was a mole catcher as well and I would have known if he’d ever caught any.

“I’d love to keep this one but I’ve no idea how to go about getting it stuffed.” Thousands of moles are caught every week in the UK on farms, estates and golf courses.

And the British Traditional Molecatchers Association has set up its own record of unusual finds.

Dozens of albino moles have been found over the past four or five years - including two in the Borders by Jack Melrose.

The list also includes a handful with similar marked furs to the one Rob discovered at Glenmayne.

One was found in Devon in 2011 and another in Somerset two years later. But a trapper in America discovered 14 of the 37 he caught in Wisconsin during March, 2011 had similar markings to Rob’s male.

Brian Alderton from the British Traditional Molecatchers Association said: “They are extremely uncommon, in all the years I’ve been at it, I have never caught one.

“Surprisingly we were once sent a stuffed one from a molecatcher near Lockerbie, who has been catching them in that area for around 20 years.

“But apart from the few on our website I haven’t heard of many more.” Moles have been regarded as a pest by farmers and gardeners since Roman times.

Their burrowing and earth hills are not only unsightly but also create unstable ground.

Earliest records of molecatching show that clay pots filled with water were buried into burrows and tunnels to act as a lethal trap.

Over the centuries molecatchers would travel from farm to farm to earn food, lodgings and a small fee for each mole they caught.

For a day or two they would set wooden traps all over the affected land.

And throughout the Borders lines of the mammals could be seen hanging from wire fences - not to discourage other moles but to act as an invoice for how much money they were owed by the farmer. Pelts from the creatures were also sold on to fur traders.

During his schooldays Rob would help his father catch moles with the furs being sold to Manchester company, Horrace Friend. But the creatures have always been dark grey.

Rob added: “I can remember my dad nailing the furs to a bit of wood to be sold - but they were always the same colour. I only returned to mole catching when I retired but all I’ve ever seen are the grey ones as well.”