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The Return of the Eager Beaver

June 01, 2009, 1:38PM MT

By Lhara Ghowry, network member

It’s been a long time since beavers have roamed freely in Britain. Four hundred years in fact.

Eleven beavers have been reintroduced into the wild in Argyll, Scotland and were originally from Norway. The scheme is part of The Scottish Beaver Trial (SBT), carried out in conjunction with the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

It is hoped that this study will allow beavers to adjust naturally in the Scottish environment and will help “rebuild the natural biodiversity of Scotland”.

Beavers are semi-aquatic types of rodent, with its two species found in North America and Eurasia respectively. They are usually nocturnal and are renown for their ability to build dams (to protect themselves from predators) and lodges (houses). In Europe, they were almost hunted to extinction for their fur and for a secretion of their scent gland.

However, not everyone is happy with the return of beavers. Some people believe that beavers could become a pest, disrupting the habitats of fish and therefore affecting their numbers. It will take time to see whether this is true, though many remain optimistic that the reintroduction of beavers will be a positive one.

Whatever the effects the beavers have in their home, this is a monumental day, bringing beavers a step further away from extinction.

To read the original stories please follow the links below:
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Posted by Barbara Silverman, photo by Barbara Silverman of a North American beaver

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