The Scottish Beaver Trial announced today that three young beavers, born earlier in the summer, have just been spotted in Argyll's Knapdale Forest.
The three youngsters, known as kits, are the largest number to be born in any year since the trial started back in 2009. Trial staff captured footage and still images of the kits on their regular evening watches.
Scottish Beaver Trial Field Operations Manager Roisin Campbell-Palmer said:
“All three kits are part of the same family, living on the Dubh Loch, which is part of the Scottish Beaver Trial’s Detective Trail.
“This family has bred every year since release, but only giving birth to one kit each year. Unfortunately last year’s kit didn’t survive.
“So seeing three newly emerged kits is really great news for the Trial because it’s a boost to the beaver population. We now have 15 beavers at Knapdale, including six who were born at the Trial site.
“We are hoping for even more kits this season, at Loch Linne and Lochan Beag. The beavers at Loch Linne have also produced kits every year of the Trial so far.
“If the pair at Lochan Beag did produce kits this year, they would be the first for new partners Elaine and Christian.
“These kits will join their family in being effective ecosytem engineers, by creating ponds and wetlands which attract insects and amphibians.
“We hope they will also attract even more visitors keen to get a glimpse of one of the UK’s rarest mammals.
“The Scottish Beaver Trial is boosting the local tourism industry; we have had over 250 visitors on our evening guided beaver walks so far this summer, which continue until the end of August.”
The Scottish Beaver Trial is a five year project to see the impact of beavers in the wild in Scotland. It is a partnership between the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and host partners, Forestry Commission Scotland.
Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson said:
“I am pleased to see the beaver trial population thriving with the arrival of three new kits – I look forward to watching their progress in future.”
People’s Postcode Lottery Head of Charities Clara Govier said:
“This is fantastic news and on behalf of the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who have supported this ground breaking trial since the start, this is another example of how these beavers given the chance, can settle and breed despite a 400 year absence from the wilds of Scotland. These furry little creatures can have such a huge benefit to our environment and I’m sure many will watch their progress with interest.”