Scottish beaver project reduces culling rate
There are thought to now be more than 2,000 beavers in Scotland.
The percentage of beavers being successfully trapped and moved to prevent damage to agriculture, instead of being culled, has significantly grown, a new report from NatureScot has revealed.
Between January 2023 and April 2024, a total of 85 beavers were removed from ‘conflict sites’ in Tayside, Scotland. Out of these, 90 per cent were trapped and relocated to licensed projects. This compares to 42 per cent in 2022 and 28 per cent in 2021.
The decrease in the proportion being culled is the result of efforts to support trapping and the willingness of land managers to try this approach first. In three out of four locations where lethal control was carried out, trapping had been attempted.
The number of beavers in Scotland is now thought to be above 2,000. NatureScot plans to carry out further survey work during the winter in order to produce an up-to-date estimate of the population.
Donald Fraser, NatureScot’s head of wildlife management, said: “A huge amount of hard work has happened over the last 16 months and significant progress has been made with the support of land managers and our partners the Beaver Trust and Five Sisters Zoo.
“More beavers have been moved to suitable areas across Scotland and the population is continuing to expand.
“The low number of beavers killed over this period is welcome, although it’s important to note that the numbers of beavers which will need to be removed from areas will vary from year to year, as beavers continue to increase and expand their range.”
NatureScot’s Beaver Mitigation Scheme also saw an increase in the number of enquiries from land managers. The service provided support, advice, and targeted mitigation in 84 cases.
The most common causes leading to land managers to contact the Beaver Mitigation Scheme were tree damage/loss (37 per cent), crop damage/loss and loss of grazing (24 per cent), impact on infrastructure (16 per cent) and bank erosion/collapse (14 per cent).
Mr Fraser added: “We know that beavers can occasionally cause issues, and as the population continues to expand, our Beaver Mitigation Scheme will continue to be available to help land managers if any problems arise.”
The full report can be read on the NatureScot website.
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