A second family of beavers has been moved to Doune’s Argaty Red Kites centre to join five others which were relocated there last November.
The translocation work was carried out by the Beaver Trust charity.
Argaty is only the second translocation site authorised in Scotland – the first was the beaver reintroduction trial site in Knapdale in Argyll.
The beavers were trapped and taken under licence from areas where they are causing serious agricultural damage for farmers and where mitigation measures have not been successful or are not possible.
Tom Bowser of Argaty Red Kites said last week: “We are thrilled to be Scotland’s first private site to legally release beavers into the wild. It will be so exciting to see how they enhance biodiversity on our farm.”
Beaver dams create nature-rich wetlands that benefit many other species, including amphibians, invertebrates and fish. The dams also improve water quality, moderate water flows and reduce downstream flooding.
In addition, selective felling of trees by beavers can increase the biodiversity within riparian woodland. For example, one anticipated benefit at Argaty is the reduced shading of pond edges, which will improve habitat for breeding damselflies and dragonflies.
NatureScot’s head of wildlife management Donald Fraser commented: “Beavers can play an important role in helping to restore biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency in Scotland.
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“Projects like this one at Argaty also allow beavers to be trapped and removed from highly productive agricultural land where they are causing damage to farmland and released in an area where nature will benefit and there is less risk to agriculture.”
Beaver Trust spokesperson Roisin Campbell-Palmer added: “The translocation of this beaver family can be considered a success, with both parents and all seen offspring trapped over a short time frame with full engagement of the landowner, lots of positive familial behaviours observed with all individuals eating well and completing health screening checks.
“Being able to release these beavers as a well-bonded family unit feels like we are giving them the best chance for relocation success and away from prime-agricultural land where they were causing a significant issue.”
A team of NatureScot staff and contractors, including the Beaver Trust, support farmers and other land managers with mitigation measures when needed, such as tree protection, exclusion fencing and installing flow devices in beaver dams.
