Scottish beaver family moved to new home in move to help boost wild population

A second family of beavers has been relocated to a farm in Scotland in a bid to help population numbers in the wild.

The move comes after the Scottish Government said last year that it would support translocation of beavers to new areas of Scotland rather than killing them if they are causing damage.

The five beavers – which are fully protected by wildlife laws – were moved to the Argaty Red Kite centre near Doune, in addition to the five beavers already relocated there in November last year.

The Beaver Trust trapped the mammals under licence from areas where they were causing serious agricultural damage for farmers and where mitigation measures have not been successful or are not possible, NatureScot, said.

One of the beavers being released after they were saved from culling and moved to a private family farm in Perthshire.

The farm is one of just two translocation sites authorised in Scotland, with the first being the beaver reintroduction trial site in Knapdale, Argyll.

They shoot beavers, don’t they?

Tom Bowser, owner of Argaty Red Kites, said: “We are thrilled to be Scotland’s first private site to legally release beavers into the wild. It will be so exciting to see how they enhance biodiversity on our farm.”

Beaver dams are said to create nature-rich wetlands that benefit many other species, including amphibians, invertebrates and fish, and which also improve water quality, moderate water flows and reduce downstream flooding.

Home sweet home: An adult beaver released back into the wild.

Roisin Campbell-Palmer, of Beaver Trust, said: “Being able to release these beavers as a well-bonded family unit feels like we are giving them the best chance for relocation success and away from prime-agricultural land where they were causing a significant issue.”

READ MORE: Beavers to be relocated across Scotland to help species spread and avoid culls

Donald Fraser, NatureScot’s head of wildlife management, said: “Projects like this one at Argaty allow beavers to be trapped and removed from highly productive agricultural land where they are causing damage to farmland and released in an area where nature will benefit and there is less risk to agriculture.”

Recent NatureScot figures estimate the beaver population in Scotland at between 602 and 1,381 animals, with a rough median estimate of 954 beavers across 254 territories, mainly in the Forth and Tay catchment areas.

Figures published by NatureScot show that 115 beavers were killed and 31 relocated elsewhere in 2020.

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