New ‘flow devices’ to be installed at loch in bid to outwit cunning beavers
FLOW devices known as “beaver deceivers” are to be installed in a Scottish loch as part of an ongoing battle of wits with a family of the cunning creatures.
Beavers have been determined to dam outflows from the Loch of Kinnordy in Angus, preventing water from escaping via burns and causing flooding in the surrounding farmland and paths.
Until now, efforts to demolish the dams have failed as the resident animals simply rebuild them.
RSPB Scotland, which manages the loch as a nature reserve, will now fit two so-called beaver deceivers in a bid to regain control of the water level from the growing beaver family.
The deceivers consist of a 12-metre-long plastic pipe protected by steel mesh, which acts like an overflow in a bath tub. They are designed to stop water levels from rising too high and to protect the loch and its wildlife while at the same time accommodating the native animals.
Rather than destroying the dam, the deceivers create a leak which the beavers find difficult to detect and repair.
The project is being run by RSPB Scotland in partnership with owners Kinnordy Estate, with support from Scottish Natural Heritage and local communities. Uwe Stoneman, RSPB Scotland’s Tayside reserves manager, said: “Having beavers back in Scotland is tremendous and Kinnordy is an excellent home for them. Beavers are clever land and water managers.
“There is ample evidence that they will improve our environment, providing benefits to both wildlife and people on a landscape scale.
“However, we also know from elsewhere in Europe that their local impacts needs to be managed. This is exactly what our work at Loch of Kinnordy is about – accommodating beavers while mitigating any potential challenges their exceptional engineering skills might create.
“It is great to be able to approach this in partnership with Kinnordy Estate and with volunteers from the local community. We may have some different views and interests, but we are working together to get the best results for people and nature.”
Eurasian beavers are native to the UK and became extinct in the 16th century, primarily due to hunting.
Vicky Turnbull, RSPB Scotland’s reserve warden, said: “The beaver deceivers will be installed in the main route for water out of the loch.
“Every time they put a dam in and we take it out it causes distress for the beavers.”