Climate1 min read

'Major milestone' as beavers released into Loch Ness area

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

A family group consisting of an adult female, two juveniles, and three kits was freed at Dundreggan after completing health checks at the Five Sisters Zoo. The release launched the multi-year Ness Beaver Project, which intends to settle at least 15 family groups across local waterways. Conservationists expect the animals will restore natural habitats by digging channels, coppicing trees, and constructing dams. These environmental changes are projected to trap sediment and support wildlife ranging from insects and frogs to birds and bats.

Key points

  • The Ness Beaver Project plans to establish at least 15 beaver family groups across the ca…: The Ness Beaver Project plans to establish at least 15 beaver family groups across the catchment within three years.
  • A public consultation demonstrated that over 73 percent of respondents supported introduc…: A public consultation demonstrated that over 73 percent of respondents supported introducing beavers to the River Ness catchment.
  • The beavers are expected to slow water flow, trap sediment, and improve biodiversity by c…: The beavers are expected to slow water flow, trap sediment, and improve biodiversity by creating new wetland habitats.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

- Published

A family of six beavers have been released into the Loch Ness catchment, 500 years since the species was last recorded there.

The beavers were reintroduced to the Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston, having been relocated from elsewhere in Scotland.

The Ness Beaver Project will reintroduce at least 15 beaver family groups into lochs, lochans and rivers around Loch Ness over the next three years.

Beavers were first reintroduced to Scotland in 2009 after being hunted to extinction about 400 years ago.

The family consists of a mother beaver, two juveniles that are about two years old, and three young beavers who were born earlier this year.

NatureScot has approved the release and has granted a licence to Trees for Life and the Beaver Trust.

Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, said it was a "very beautiful thing to see" the animals back in their natural habitat.

He said: "I can see them swimming and very calm, which is a really good sign."

He added that the beavers looked "very settled" and relaxed straight away.

The…

Climate