Anger at beaver trapping plans
Holyrood under attack from charity campaigners
Trustees from the Scottish Wild Beaver Group are “appalled” to hear that the Scottish Government intends to trap beavers in Beauly.
A spokesperson for the east Perthshire-based charity, which successfully campaigned for the Tay beavers to be left in the wild, said that they believe the Invernessshire beavers should be treated in the same way.
The spokesperson said: “This family of beavers has been living quietly on the river for five to six years and are causing no problems.
“The animals have brought great enjoyment to locals who have observed them and people nationwide are upset at the news that the beavers are to be removed.”
They continued: “We have been informed that within a few weeks the Scottish Government will be bringing in long-awaited legal protection for Scottish beavers and that they will be allowed to remain in Tayside and Knapdale and spread naturally from there.
“A decision to trap out a longestablished family of beavers just because they are outside the Tayside and Knapdale areas is pointless and unnecessary as the natural spread will eventually reach the Inverness area in any case.
“Trapping always carries risks for beavers and they do not make good zoo animals.
“The government, understandably, has made it clear that they strongly oppose any illegal releases of beavers but, given that Scottish Natural Heritage in 2011 referred to their intention to trap out beavers in Inverness-shire as well as Tayside, it would seem that these beavers have been known to SNH for some years and that they have no evidence that they resulted from illegal releases rather than accidental escapes from private collections.
“Furthermore, being established in the wild over five to six years or up to three beaver generations, they are well overdue for legal protection under the EU Habitats Directive, like all the other beavers in Scotland.
“Along with Trees for Life, the Forres-based environmental charity, we call upon the Scottish Government to desist from this hugely unpopular and unnecessary intervention.”
The Scottish Government defended its position, stating it is an offence for beavers to be released without a licence and that it is punishable by up to two years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
A spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has been clear that beavers can remain in Scotland but they must be effectively managed to minimise the impact on farmers and other landowners.
“The unauthorised release of beavers is a criminal offence and will damage the beaver reintroduction project, which is why it is important that these beavers are trapped and moved to a more suitable location once it is found.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Natural Heritage said the individual numbers of beavers are not known but they know a family is present in Beauly.
They added the family will be released after they are trapped but “it is not yet known when or where and a period of quarantine will be involved for health checks.”