A family of beavers have been successfully moved to Loch Lomond in another key milestone for the species’ return to Scotland.
The group of seven - two adults and five young offspring, including three adorable baby kits and two yearlings - were relocated from an area in Tayside.
It comes as part of efforts to speed up the return of beavers - known as “nature’s engineers” - to Loch Lomond’s National Nature Reserve.
RSPB Scotland, which has led the project, said the presence of the hardy river-dwellers in Loch Lomond would create and boost local habitats, improve biodiversity and aid in the fight against climate change.
As well as being famous for building natural dams, the amazing creatures will also build new ponds and wetlands where other species can thrive.
Anne McCall, Director of RSPB Scotland, said: “We are delighted to have been able to offer a home to this family of beavers, speeding up their return to Loch Lomond.
“The National Nature Reserve, with its mix of open water, fen and wet woodland is a perfect place for them.
“As nature’s engineers they manage and create habitat in ways we could never hope to replicate.
“We are looking forward to seeing the many benefits this should bring to other wildlife from birds to dragonflies, fish to frogs, both on our nature reserve and in the wider NNR.
“We also hope our visitors will be able to enjoy spotting their natural engineering feats in the coming years.”
Scottish Green biodiversity minister Lorna Slater, who was there to see the beavers’ arrival in Loch Lomond, said: “Through translocation projects like this one, beavers are slowly being reintroduced across the country and helping to promote biodiversity and restore nature.
“Now children growing up in Scotland will grow up alongside beavers - learning about the amazing things that they do, like natural flood management, and creating wetland habitats that support a range of other species.”
In 2009, conservation groups brought wild beavers back to Scotland for the first time in 400 years, to Knapdale Forest in Argyll and Bute.
Eurasian beavers are native to Britain and used to be widespread in Scotland.
But they were hunted to extinction in the 16th century for their fur, meat and ‘castoreum’ - a castor oil used mainly in perfumes.
Roisin Campbell-Palmer from The Beaver Trust, which managed the relocation process, said: “It's incredibly fulfilling to release this family into Loch Lomond NNR today. It's an ideal home for them with lots of suitable habitat where they will be able to bring real biodiversity benefits.
"It's a great achievement for everyone involved and an important step in the restoration of beavers in Scotland."
After a licence to relocate the animals was granted late last year, the beaver family was captured and underwent a series of health checks at Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian before their release.
Gordon Watson, Chief Executive at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “This release of a family of beavers at Loch Lomond is a positive step forward for natural environment here in the National Park
“These are not our first beavers – beavers have already been moving into other areas of the National Park for many years now and surveys show that they are likely to thrive in the habitat around Loch Lomond.”
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