‘Anarchy’ warning over Welsh river’s ‘vermin’ beavers
WORRIED anglers and farmers are hoping to get leave to tackle beavers that were illegally released into the River Dyfi.
Since two beavers were first spotted in the river six years ago, they are known to have bred and estimates of numbers range from five to 11.
Opponents fear flooded fields, tree damage and impacts on migratory fish.
Critics also claim the mammals’ riverbank burrowing could undermine a single-track railway running alongside the Dyfi estuary.
Anglers and some landowners claim the population will rise exponentially if the Wildlife Trusts in Wales (WTW) succeeds in obtaining a licence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to release a further 10 pairs into the Dyfi.
A separate application is also being made for a pair of beavers at the Cors Dyfi nature reserve, near Machynlleth, where a special enclosure has been built.
Andy Nicholson, editor of Angling News, who represents local opponents, said the Dyfi’s existing beavers were released illegally and should be treated as “vermin”.
He has formally lodged a complaint with Dyfed-Powys Police forces. Network Rail has also been alerted.
“The police now have a duty to investigate the releases and we await the outcome,” said Mr Nicholson.
However, he said patience was running thin and some landowners were prepared to take matters into their own hands.
He referred to the situation in Scotland where, last year, 87 beavers were shot under licence to control numbers which have risen steadily since the first sightings were made there in 2006.
However, the unlicensed shooting of beavers by farmers was also reported in the country prior to beavers being given protected status in Scotland in May 2019.
Mr Nicholson warned the Dyfi was a tinderbox and that “civil disobedience and anarchy” would erupt if more beavers were introduced.
“There is widespread condemnation of the proposed introduction of yet more beavers into the Dyfi,” he said. “There is also a lot of anger at the illegally introduced beavers already in the Dyfi system.
“These invasive, multiplying, non-indigenous species of beavers have no health checks, they are not tagged and should be dealt with accordingly as recognised vermin such as grey squirrels, rats and mink.”
Feelings are running high in Welsh angling communities following this year’s introduction of byelaws designed to protect salmon stocks.
By imposing onerous restrictions on fishing, some anglers claim they have become unwitting victims of a rewilding agenda.
Machynlleth’s Richard Evans, secretary of New Dovey Fishery Association (NDFA), worries that if beavers are added to a purposebuilt enclosure at Cors Dyfi nature reserve, they may escape and add to the river’s existing wild population.
Wildlife enthusiasts have reported at least seven wild beavers in three locations between Derwenlas and Cemmaes Road – the first in Wales since they were hunted to extinction in the Middle Ages for their fur, meat and scent glands.
The NDFA is waiting to hear the outcome of police inquiries.
If the association received confirmation it was entitled to eradicate the beavers, committee members would then be asked to decide the next course of action, said Mr Evans.
He added: “If, God forbid, more beavers are released under licence into the Dyfi, we may end up with the same situation as in Scotland, where the government is actually paying to have them removed.”
It’s a prospect that will horrify conservationists who cite beavers as the ultimate “eco-engineers”, capable of restoring wetland ecosystems and modulating downstream flooding.
Their habitats can also purify water and reduce siltation, according to the Welsh Beaver Project (WBP), set up by WTW to oversee re-introductions.
If the WBP succeeds in obtaining a licence from NRW, the Dyfi reintroductions will be phased over five years to assess impacts and allay concerns.
All introduced beavers will be microchipped, tagged and health-screened at what would be the first pilot release site in Wales. Some landowners are understood to support the project.
Earlier this month England’s first wild breeding population of beavers were given the green light to stay in their Devon home on the River Otter.
NRW is commissioning a survey of the area’s beavers later this year to establish accurate numbers.
The organisation confirmed the deliberate or accidental release of beavers without a licence is an offence. But it said it has no powers to act and that any wildlife offence is a matter for the police to investigate and prosecute.
A spokesman added: “Anyone who would consider taking direct action against wild beavers would need to satisfy themselves that they are doing so lawfully.
“This is a complex issue including landowner permissions, animal welfare issues and the protected status of beavers.”