Scottish Beaver Trial Update
Thursday 6th August 2009
Two months ago the Scottish Beaver Trial, a partnership project run by Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and host partner Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), officially began. After an absence of 400 years beavers were returned to the wild in Scotland.
Three beaver families were released at carefully selected sites in Knapdale Forest, Mid-Argyll, and observation and tracking began immediately. A family of four was released into Loch Coille Bharr, a family of four into Loch Linne and the final family of three was released into Creag Mhor Loch. Unfortunately, shortly after release, a juvenile male from the Loch Linne family died. A post-mortem was carried out by independent veterinary professionals but the results were inconclusive. The family at Loch Coille Bharr and the remaining three animals at Loch Linne settled almost immediately and are regularly observed and tracked by field staff and volunteers. All these animals appear to be in good health.
For the first week, the third family at Creag Mhor also appeared to have settled down and they were recorded swimming and feeding as normal. One week later the adult female disappeared. The time of her disappearance coincided with unauthorized shooting heard in the same area. There has been no sign of the animal since and the matter has been reported to the local police for further investigation. The sudden disappearance of the female seemed to unsettle the adult male and he left the original release loch and was located on the Crinan Canal where he remained for several days. He then left the canal and has been recently discovered at Lakeland Marine Farm at Port Na Moine near Kilmartin. Traps will soon be in place and, once captured, the animal will be returned to the original release loch.
The juvenile female, who was left behind when her parents disappeared, remained on Creag Mhor for several weeks. She was then tracked to the Crinan Canal, after possibly following her father’s scent. With agreement from British Waterways, the Scottish Beaver Trial partners decided to trap the juvenile female and take her back to the release loch. However, just as trapping began, she left the canal and her signal has not been picked up since.
Simon Jones, Scottish Beaver Trial Project Manager, said: “These are wild animals and we expected some movement which is one of the reasons why they are monitored so closely. Field staff and volunteers have been working around the clock in an effort to track the missing beavers. Tracking requires a combination of methods including looking for field signs, observing beaver activity, and following radio signals from the transmitters attached to the animals. We will widen our search area to encompass the land where the adult male was found in case the juvenile female follows his scent. Our ongoing search for the adult female will also continue, but it can take time to establish the location of certain individuals as tracking techniques do not always provide instant results.
“We are obviously concerned that there could to be a link between her disappearance and the unauthorized shooting and the local police have been informed. We suspect that the noise from the shooting has disturbed these animals even if no direct link between the shooting and disappearance is found.”
Allan Bantick, Chair of the Scottish Beaver Trial partnership, said: “We are thrilled that two families of beavers have settled into their new surroundings so quickly. I very much hope that the missing female from the third family has not been shot and await the result of the police investigation. In the meantime the trial is fully underway and the scientific monitoring has started in earnest.”
***Ends***
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Maxine Finlay, Communications Officer, RZSS
Tel: 0131 314 0312
Nicola McGovern, PR Officer, SWT
Tel: 0131 312 4742
Notes to Editors
• Timeline of events regarding the Creag Mhor family:
28 May – family of three is released onto Creag Mhor
6 June – unauthorized rifle shots are heard in the trial area and the adult female disappears
9 June – adult male moves onto the Crinan Canal
18 June – juvenile female moves to Crinan Canal
18-29 June – both adult male and juvenile female are moving between loch and canal.
29 June – the signal from the adult male is lost
15 July - signal for juvenile female is lost
27 July – adult male is found on Lakeland Marine Farm in Port na Moine near Kilmartin.
• The Scottish Beaver Trial staff is responsible for tracking the beavers activities in the field, and the information collected will be submitted to Scottish Natural Heritage, the independent monitors of the trial, as part of their evaluations. Tracking techniques involve a combination of methods including radio tracking. Radio tags have been attached to most of the released beavers and this method is working well, particularly for the two families who have secured stable territories. Occasionally tracking with radio can become problematic as receiving a signal can be interrupted by obstacles such as rocky or hilly terrain. Field signs are also used to determine beaver whereabouts and activity however these signs can be less prominent during the summer months when vegetation is more abundant.
• The Scottish Beaver Trial is a partnership project between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and host Forestry Commission Scotland to undertake a time-limited trial reintroduction of the European beavers to Knapdale, Mid-Argyll. It is part of Scotland's Species Action Framework, which sets out a strategic approach to species management in Scotland. The Scottish Government has asked Scottish Natural Heritage to coordinate the independent scientific monitoring of the trial, reporting on whether the conditions of the licence are being fully addressed on the ground. For more information visit www.scottishbeavers.org.uk
• The Scottish Government approved the application of the trial reintroduction in May 2008. This followed a two-month long consultation period with local residents and key stakeholders. The results of this consultation showed that 73% of respondents were in favour of the trial reintroduction.
• Forestry Commission Scotland manages the trial site of Knapdale Forest as part of the national forest estate. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Government’s forestry directorate and is responsible for the protection and expansion of Scotland's forests and woodlands. FCS manages the national forest estate for a range of public benefits – economic, social and environmental. It works closely with a range of national and local stakeholders and partners to deliver the Scottish Government's goals vested in the Scottish Forestry Strategy.
• Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), a registered charity, number SC004064. RZSS was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie. The Society was set up ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’. RZSS has been involved in several successful species reintroduction programmes in the past. These include native species, such as the Canna mouse, as well as global initiatives including reintroducing the Socorro dove back to the Socorro Islands, off the Mexican coast.
• The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a registered charity. It is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 33,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. SWT seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 wildlife reserves Scotland-wide. www.swt.org.uk
• Scottish Natural Heritage advises the Scottish Government on conserving, enjoying, understanding and sustainably using our natural heritage. For further information on SNH, please visit www.snh.org.uk
• Funding for the Scottish Beaver Trial has been gratefully received from Biffaward.
• In 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to £100 million, supporting many worthwhile projects. Biffa Waste Services Limited is one of the largest single suppliers of waste management services in the UK. It collects, treats, recovers and disposes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste nationwide. It is ultimately owned by a private equity consortium comprising Montagu Private Equity, Global Infrastructure Partners, Uberior Co-Investments Limited and other co-investors www.biffaward.org
• The project has also received financial support from a range of sources including the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, People’s Postcode Lottery, the John Ellerman Foundation and the Albert George & Nancy Caroline Youngman Trust.
