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Zoo News
Royal appointment for Scotland’s wild beavers
8 September 2010 - Today (Wednesday 8 September 2010) HRH The Princess Royal visited the Scottish Beaver Trial at Knapdale, Mid-Argyll. The UK’s first ever formal mammal reintroduction project, news recently emerged that two of the Knapdale beaver families had bred for the first time. HRH The Princess Royal visited two loch side locations and was shown many field signs indicating their presence.
As patron of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), one of the organisations behind the Scottish Beaver Trial, HRH The Princess Royal on her two-hour visit was given an insight into the groundbreaking five-year project that has seen beavers return to Scotland on a trial basis after an absence of 400 years. Representatives from the project partners, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Forestry Commission Scotland, were also on hand to meet the Royal guest.
Accompanied on her tour of the site by Iain Valentine, RZSS’s Director of Animals, Conservation and Education, The Princess took a boat trip to see a beaver lodge belonging to one of the breeding families on the loch edge. The first release of beavers at Knapdale took place in May 2009, with further releases in May and June this year. Much to excitement of the project partners, the first sightings of two beaver kits were confirmed in July 2010 with one individual born to two different family groups.
Iain Valentine, RZSS’s Director of Animals, Conservation and Education welcomed the visit and interest from the Society’s patron: “We are delighted that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal today has been able to visit this unique project and see the important conservation work the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is undertaking. The Scottish Beaver Trial is not only a first for Scotland but for the UK too. We hope that similar projects will take place in England and Wales in the coming years that will harness the impacts this incredibly useful mammal can have on habitats and dependent species.”
The Scottish Beaver Trial aims to provide information which could determine whether or not beavers are reintroduced into the wild across Scotland. Twenty-five European countries have already reintroduced beavers to their wild lands. Beavers were a native species to the UK and were once a common sight before they were hunted to extinction by man. Beavers are known as a keystone species and bring many benefits to wetland environments and improve habitats for many other animals including invertebrates, birds and otters.
RZSS, the charity that owns Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, has a long-standing relationship with the Royal family. With the Royal Charter being granted in 1913, it still remains the only zoo in the UK to have achieved Royal status. HRH The Princess Royal became RZSS’s patron in March 2009. Following a visit earlier in the day to RZSS’s site at Kincraig; the Highland Wildlife Park, HRH The Princess Royal left Knapdale shortly after 5pm.
For further info
Clara Govier, Communications
Officer
0131 314 0312 (07889 116517)
Editors’ notes
• 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
• SNH is working with a number of independent organisations to carry out the monitoring
work. They are Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll Fisheries Trust, Historic Scotland, British
Dragonfly Society, Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Scottish Environment Protection Agency,
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
and University of Stirling. Each organisation is contributing resources towards the monitoring of
the trial, along with SNH who is contributing £275,000. For information about the monitoring go to
www.snh.gov.uk/scottishbeavertrial.
• 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 (FCS) serves as the Scottish Government's forestry
directorate. FCS is the host partner in the project and manages the Trial site at Knapdale.
www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland.
• 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.
www.edinburghzoo.org.uk
• The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity. It is the largest voluntary body
working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 35,000 members who care for
wildlife and the environment. The Scottish Wildlife Trust 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.gov.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.
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