For Argyll

The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland have announced that the Scottish Government has today granted conditional approval for up to four beaver families to be reintroduced on a trial basis in the Spring of 2009, to Knapdale in Mid-Argyll. Before their re-introduction the beavers will spend six months in quarantine. The scheme has been licensed for a five year period.

Allan Bantick, Chair of the Scottish Beaver Trial Steering Group said: “This is a historic moment for wildlife conservation. The Scottish Government has now given the go ahead for the first-ever formal reintroduction of a native mammal into the wild in the UK. Beavers have been extinct in Scotland for over 400 years and they are well known for their positive impact on habitats and conditions for other species. By bringing these useful creatures back to their native environment we will have the chance to restore a missing part of our wetland ecosystems and re-establish much needed natural processes.”

Photo above is of a Eurpoean Beaver, by Per Harald Olsen and made availabnle under the GNU Free Documentation License.