Tour boss claims beavers help the economy

BEAVER tours are proving popular in Perthshire – with a small business having to hire new staff to meet demand.

Daniele Muir, who has been running Perthshire Wildlife for about nine years, says beaver tours now make up 90% of what she and her team do.

She said visitors rarely leave disappointed after taking a tour, adding that: “People who come here to see the beavers are also spending money at local restaurants and other businesses.”

Daniele thinks this financial benefit is likely to improve even further with the relocation of beavers within Scotland now the preferred choice of Scottish minsters.

She said: “I think there’s scope for other businesses like ours to pop up elsewhere in Scotland as beaver numbers improve.

“To be honest, I don’t really understand how farmers and land owners can want them killed.

“And if they saw how much money visitors are spending, that would make the case as well.”

Daniele thinks one of the main reasons the Perthshire beaver tour is popular is that the animal is one of the biggest mammals that can be spotted easily in Scotland.

“There are deer, of course, but other than that they are one of the biggest mammals we can see,” she said. “It’s quite exciting to have large mammals like that back.

“Some people are not always aware just how big they are.

“They’re just like little bears.”

The wildlife enthusiast used to work for Perth and Kinross Council before committing to her business full-time.

She said beavers are “wonderful” to see in their natural habitat.

“Beavers have so many positives”, she said.

“They are amazing for biodiversity through things such as cleaning water.

“They help encourage invertebrate life, which in turn helps a whole host of other species.

“If you want to give nature a helping hand, bring in beavers.”