The first beaver kits to be born in the wild as part of the Scottish Beaver Trial have now been spotted in Knapdale Forest, Mid-Argyll, Scottish Beaver Trial staff announced today (Friday 13 August), when they also released the first exclusive images.
As part of the partnership project between the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which achieved conservation history last May by launching the first formal trial reintroduction of a mammal back to the UK, the newborn beavers (known as kits) are estimated to be eight weeks old and their sighting marks a positive achievement in the progress of this landmark project.
Christian Robstad, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Beaver Field Officer, described his experience spotting Scotland’s exciting new arrivals:
“Seeing the Trial’s newborn beaver kits was really amazing – this is a huge achievement for the project and for conservation in the UK.
“It’s often difficult to tell if wild beavers are pregnant especially as they are elusive and largely nocturnal animals, but with our adult female beavers at two sites known to be in peak condition, there was a real possibility that kits could follow.
“Increasingly in the last few weeks, staff and volunteers have seen more evidence that there were young around and tracking activities were stepped up. After weeks of patient observation, we were finally rewarded with not just one kit being spotted but a second kit from a different family group as well.
“The first emerged as part of a ‘family outing’ with its parents and older sister close by to offer additional protection. It kept close to the edge of the loch and called out to its family for reassurance while it began to learn to forage for food.”
Simon Jones, the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Scottish Beaver Trial Project Manager, continued: “Receiving confirmation of the presence of at least two beaver kits this year in Knapdale is a fantastic step forward for the Scottish Beaver Trial as we can now begin to see how a small reintroduced population starts to naturally establish itself in the wild.
“Both these beaver families are real Trial success stories, having settled into Knapdale very well. Both have built their own lodge and one family has had great success building a dam to access better food supplies. This has created a magnificent new area of wetland in which wildlife is now flourishing in.
“As beaver kits are very small, shy and look very similar to one another, there is a chance that even more kits have been born this year. We will be tracking our animals closely and hope to determine the exact number of kits produced as part of the Trial soon. This task will be made easier for us as the kits get older and more confident about emerging from the lodge and foraging for food on their own.”
Minister for Environment Roseanna Cunningham said: “It's exciting to see these beavers thriving in the Knapdale Forest and producing beaver kits so soon after their reintroduction.
“We were hoping that this would happen and I'm looking forward to watching the progress of the beaver families over the coming years.
“This is a small but significant step for the Scottish Beaver Trial.”
Allan Bantick, Chair of the Scottish Beaver Trial Steering Group, said: “This is a red letter day for wildlife conservation in Scotland. The birth of kits is a truly significant milestone in the development of the beaver trial and confirms our belief that beavers will thrive in the Scottish environment.
“Conservationists and ecologists have campaigned for fifteen years for the return of the beaver to Scotland and thereby to correct the mistake of four hundred years ago when beavers were hunted to extinction. These births are small but significant steps in that direction.
“Over the five-year trial period, we will watch the beavers and keep detailed records of their activities. We now have good reason to be confident that our beaver families will produce young which will disperse after two years to look for mates and establish their own breeding family groups. We believe the trial area is large enough to sustain this population growth over the course of the trial period and beyond.”
Nick Purdy from Forestry Commission Scotland, the Trial’s host partner, said: “We are delighted to have the beavers resident in Knapdale and this is just the news we have been hoping for. I know visitors will be keen to get a sighting of the new arrivals, but will also understand that this is a very sensitive time for these beaver families. It would be of great help to the beavers if the public avoided the loch edge for the next few weeks to help minimise disturbance while the kits get used to their new environment.”
Currently about the size of a large guinea pig, beaver kits weigh about one pound at birth. They are born with a full coat of fur, their eyes open and the ability to swim. Older kits within the family may help care for and defend the younger ones but when they reach about two years old, they will leave the group in search of their own territory.
The Scottish Beaver Trial aims to provide information which could determine whether or not beavers are reintroduced into the wild across Scotland. Twenty-five European countries have already reintroduced beavers to their wild lands. Beavers were a native species to the UK and were once a common sight before they were hunted to extinction by man. Beavers are known as a keystone species and bring many benefits to wetland environments and improve habitats for many other animals including invertebrates, birds and otters.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nicola McGovern, PR and Communications Manager, Scottish Wildlife Trust
Tel: 0131 312 4742 or 07795 608246
Email: nmcgovern@swt.org.uk
Clara Govier, Communications Officer, RZSS
Tel: 0131 314 0312 (07889 116517) or email: cgovier@rzss.org.uk
Notes to Editors
• Please note, in order to keep disturbance to a minimum, the exact location and the beaver family cannot be given.
• The Scottish Beaver Trial is a partnership project between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and host Forestry Commission Scotland to undertake a time-limited trial reintroduction of the European beavers to Knapdale, Mid-Argyll. It is part of Scotland's Species Action Framework, which sets out a strategic approach to species management in Scotland. The Scottish Government has asked Scottish Natural Heritage to coordinate the independent scientific monitoring of the trial, reporting on whether the conditions of the licence are being fully addressed on the ground. For more information visit www.scottishbeavers.org.uk
• SNH is working with a number of independent organisations to carry out the monitoring work. They are Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll Fisheries Trust, Historic Scotland, British Dragonfly Society, Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and University of Stirling. Each organisation is contributing resources towards the monitoring of the trial, along with SNH who is contributing £275,000. For information about the monitoring go to www.snh.gov.uk/scottishbeavertrial.
• The Scottish Government approved the application of the trial reintroduction in May 2008. This followed a two-month long consultation period with local residents and key stakeholders. The results of this consultation showed that 73% of respondents were in favour of the trial reintroduction.
• Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) serves as the Scottish Government's forestry directorate. FCS is the host partner in the project and manages the Trial site at Knapdale. www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland.
• Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), a registered charity, number SC004064. RZSS was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie. The Society was set up ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’. RZSS has been involved in several successful species reintroduction programmes in the past. These include native species, such as the Canna mouse, as well as global initiatives including reintroducing the Socorro dove back to the Socorro Islands, off the Mexican coast. www.edinburghzoo.org.uk
• The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity. It is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 35,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. The Scottish Wildlife Trust seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 wildlife reserves Scotland-wide. www.swt.org.uk
• Scottish Natural Heritage advises the Scottish Government on conserving, enjoying, understanding and sustainably using our natural heritage. For further information on SNH, please visit www.snh.gov.uk.
• Funding for the Scottish Beaver Trial has been gratefully received from Biffaward.
• In 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to £100 million, supporting many worthwhile projects. Biffa Waste Services Limited is one of the largest single suppliers of waste management services in the UK. It collects, treats, recovers and disposes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste nationwide. It is ultimately owned by a private equity consortium comprising Montagu Private Equity, Global Infrastructure Partners, Uberior Co-Investments Limited and other co-investors www.biffaward.org
• The project has also received financial support from a range of sources including the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, People’s Postcode Lottery, the John Ellerman Foundation and the Albert George & Nancy Caroline Youngman Trust