A family of six beavers has been released into waters around Loch Ness, marking their first return to the area in 500 years. The group was set free on Trees for Life's 10,000-acre Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston in the Highlands.
Family settles in after release
The family comprises a mother beaver, two juveniles around two years old, and three young beavers born earlier this year. Steve Micklewright, the charity's chief executive, described it as a “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.”
The beavers were caught on Tayside, where they had been causing problems for farmers, transported to a zoo for a health check, and then re-released into the wild around Loch Ness. Micklewright added: “Now they’re out in the wild, and to see them just being really relaxed is amazing. The little ones have been swimming around, and those are the ones I’ve been watching on the side of the loch grooming each other, which is a real sign that they are settling in.”
Part of wider reintroduction project
The release is the first for the Ness Beaver Project, which plans to reintroduce at least 15 beaver family groups around Loch Ness over the next three years. Guided tours to spot the animals will be offered eventually.
Alan McDonnell, Trees for Life's head of nature restoration, said: “Hunted to extinction centuries ago, beavers are reclaiming their place in our rivers and wetlands.”
