A second family of Tayside beavers has been moved to a sanctuary farm on the Perthshire border as part of a landmark conservation project.
The five semi-aquatic rodents arrived last Friday, joining five others already relocated to the Argaty Red Kite centre near Doune in November last year.
The move - known as a translocation - was carried out by charity Beaver Trust and is only the second translocation site authorised in Scotland.
Argaty, a working farm which is home to the award-winning red kite project, was awarded a licence by the Scottish Government’s nature agency NatureScot for the release of two families and one pair of beavers, without the need for enclosure fencing.
The beavers will be relocated from areas of prime agricultural land in Tayside, where lethal control licences have been issued.
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.
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.
Tom Bowser, owner of Argaty Red Kites, said: “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.”
Translocations of beavers can only take place under strict circumstances by trained experts under licence.
The beavers are trapped in line with best practice and undergo appropriate health screening before being released.
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.
In 2020, 68 active mitigation projects were progressed.
NatureScot’s head of wildlife management, Donald Fraser, added: “Beavers can play an important role in helping to restore biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency in Scotland.
“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.”
Spokesperson for Beaver Trust Roisin Campbell-Palmer said: “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.
“We look forward to being able to expand such work in the future.”
