Beavers find the Forth gnaw bad
Fishermen talk of tell-tale signs on river
Stirling fishermen believe that beavers have returned to the Forth and its tributaries, the Teith and Allan Water.
Tree stumps which appear to have been gnawed have been seen on the banks of the Allan Water near Cornton in recent weeks.
Hunted for their pelt and glandular oil the beaver, Europe’s largest rodent, became extinct in Scotland in the sixteenth century.
According to accounts of the time the animals had been common in parts of the country, particularly around the Loch Ness area.
Seventy-year-old Stirling salmon angler John Hunter, who has been fishing on the Forth since he was aged 10, said this week he has seen evidence of the animals on the Allan Water near Cornton.
He said: “I’m usually on the Forth every day fishing near Cruive Dykes. I first noticed fallen trees a few weeks ago and the stumps. There had been rumours circulating among fishermen about beavers in the area for quite a while, but this is the first time I have seen evidence with my own eyes. I’ve heard from fishermen there are beavers on the Forth and Teith further west.
“You can see that the trees have fallen after having been gnawed away. I’ve not seen a beaver yet, but this looks very much like the work of beavers to me. It would be great if they are there.
“They were driven to extinction by man after all. It’s great to think they are back in our rivers and close to Stirling.”
Eurasian beaver from Norway were deliberately reintroduced in 2009 and 2010 at Knapdale in Argyll as part of a Royal Scottish Zoological Society of Scotland and Scottish Wildlife Trust project.
It was announced last year that more beavers are to be reintroduced in Knapdale to reinforce the current population of nine.
However, there are also freeliving populations around the River Tay which could have been illegally released or escaped from captivity. Estimates were reported in 2016 that there were more than 200 beavers living in the rivers and lochs of the Tay and Earn catchment area. The animals were granted native species status that year.
Beavers tend to be active at dusk and dawn. Vegetarians, they eat aquatic plants, shrubs and tree bark. They also build dams on rivers which scientists have found boosts biodiversity by creating habitats for other animals.
Stirling Observer nature correspondent Keith Graham said: “I would imagine that there are beavers on the Forth. I have heard they are on the Teith and I wouldn’t be surprised to find them in other tributaries of the Forth as well.
“There is a big debate on whether they are beneficial or not. The farming community tends to think that they cause too much damage – they can flood fields when they build their dams. However, overall I think they do good.”