Beavers return to Loch Ness for first time in 500 years
A family of six has been released near the loch by Trees for Life and the Beaver Trust – the first of 15 family groups to be introduced in the area over the next three years.
A beaver mother and kit in Tayside. A family of six beavers has now been released near Loch Ness. · Photograph: Ray Scott (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Beavers have returned to the waters around Loch Ness, 500 years after they were hunted to extinction in the area.
A family of six has been released at a secluded spot near the loch in the latest of a series of reintroductions in Scotland.
They are the first beavers in the area for five centuries – the last recorded sighting dates from 1526 to 1527.
The family
The family is made up of a mother beaver, two juveniles aged around two, and three young beavers born earlier this year.
They are the first of 15 family groups to be introduced to lochs, lochans and rivers within range of Loch Ness over the next three years. The project, led by the charities Trees for Life and the Beaver Trust, aims to boost biodiversity and eco-tourism.
"They generate a lot of benefits"
Alan McDonnell, head of nature restoration at Trees for Life, said: "They generate a lot of benefits for other wildlife and for nature."
He said the benefits begin with insects and build all the way up the food chain.
Beaver Trust head of restoration Roisin Campbell-Palmer said: "We couldn't have picked a better day. This is a lovely quiet spot, loads of food."
"The animals seem relaxed. They've been swimming around. They've come together and met each other, so I think that's one of the key things that we want to see."
Not everyone is celebrating
Some farmers and crofters say beavers have caused damage to their land.
Robert MacDonald, from NFU Scotland, said: "I know farmers that are unable to grow high value crops next to the River Tay now because of the risk."
Scotland's beaver comeback
Beavers were hunted to extinction across Britain by the 16th century for their fur, meat and scent glands. They were officially reintroduced in Argyll in 2009, while a separate population became established on the Tay. They have been a protected species in Scotland since 2019, and the Scottish Government now supports moving them to new areas.
Their dams and ponds create wetland habitats that support insects, fish and birds, and can help slow the flow of water during floods – though their activities can also flood farmland and damage trees.