Beavers on the River Tay in Scotland appear to be doing well

A report published by the Tayside Beaver Study Group in April 2015 indicates that more than 150 beavers are living in the River Tay and River Earn catchments in Scotland (see BBC News Scotland). The beavers are of Eurasian origin, rather than the North American species, and have been in the Tayside area since 2006 or earlier. They appear to be well adapted to living in Scotland and are free of diseases of concern to humans, domestic animals and wildlife. The report considers the impacts of beavers on the landscape and in many places they appear to pose few problems. However, in some situations they can have negative impacts, for example, by burrowing into flood banks and drainage ditches causing flooding of agricultural land. The report considers these impacts and ways of managing them and also the future if beavers are allowed to remain in Scotland. Scottish government ministers are due to make a decision about the future of the beavers in Scotland (including those in the official trial release in Knapdale) in the near future.

Posted on May 4, 2015 at 8:44 am

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