Beaver boost for Knapdale
THREE new animals have been introduced to Knapdale’s wild beaver population.
The beavers, of Bavarian origin, were sourced from the Highland Wildlife Park and Wildwood Zoo in Kent as part of a Scottish Beavers initiative, with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo staff introducing the new animals to the forest.
Scottish Beavers is a partnership between the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) to continue the work of the Scottish Beaver Trial.
The releases at Knapdale represent the first stage of a three-year programme which will see up to 28 beavers released under controlled and monitored conditions to increase genetic diversity and improve the health and resilience of the origTARBERT inal population introduced through the Scottish Beaver Trial in 2009.
Beavers were absent in the wild in Scotland for more than 400 years prior to the Scottish Beaver Trial.
The conservation project saw the release of 16 Eurasian beavers into Knapdale Forest between 2009 and 2014. The benefits and impacts were independently monitored through research co-ordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
In November 2016, the Scottish Government announced beavers would be allowed to remain, marking the first successful reintroduction of any wild mammal to the UK.
Ben Harrower, RZSS conservation programme manager, said: ‘We will continue to monitor closely the progress of the beavers with a view to releasing more animals in early 2018 and over the next three years.
‘By the end of that period, we hope to see some of the translocated beavers paired up with the existing population and producing kits.
‘This is a significant milestone for the conservation of beavers in Knapdale.
‘We are grateful to Forest Enterprise Scotland for hosting the Knapdale population as well as mechanical engineering support during our activities and surveys.’
Susan Davies, SWT director of conservation, said: ‘Beavers are fantastic natural engineers and we’ve seen first-hand in Knapdale how a relatively small number of animals can create new wetlands and improve riparian woodland.
‘They also bring wider benefits to a range of other species, from in- sects and birds to otters and water voles. In addition, beaver tourism is giving a boost to the local economy as the presence of these animals is proving to be a strong draw for visitors to Mid Argyll.’