The beaver is back! SWT reintroduces mammal to Scotland

2 June 2009

On 29th May, the Scottish Wildlife Trust released three beaver families into the wild, marking the final stage of its project to reintroduce beavers to Scottish nature.

The beavers were captured in Norway and, after a six-month quarantine period, have been introduced into carefully selected sites in Knapdale Forest, Mid-Argyll. The animals were once common across Scotland but were hunted to extinction during the 16th Century.

Allan Bantick, SWT Chairman, said: "The release of the beavers today means that we are one step closer to rebuilding the natural biodiversity of Scotland. Beavers are a native species made extinct by man and we are hoping that our trial reintroduction is a step towards seeing this corrected.

“This is species worth having in any ecosystem as their presence is known to bring a vast number of benefits to other native Scottish wildlife as well as wetland and waterside habitats.”

Minister for the Environment Roseanna Cunningham echoed these sentiments, saying: “Welcoming beavers back to Scotland marks a historic day for conservation. These charismatic creatures are not only likely to create interest in Scotland from further afield but crucially can play a key role in providing good habitat for a wide range of wetland species.”

The reintroduction of the beaver was largely funded by private donations and a big part of this came from donations by People’s Postcode Lottery players.

Players have raised over £650,000 for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, allowing it to undertake key conservation work across Scotland as well as this groundbreaking project.

Click here to register now and support the Scottish Wildlife Trust as well as other great charities across Scotland.

Beaver Gallery

Watch the release!