Conservationists have reported the first wild-born beavers in the Cairngorms since the species went extinct in Scotland over 400 years ago.

The two kits, or baby beavers, were born after four beaver families were released in the Cairngorms National Park late last year.

One kit was born on land managed by Wildland Cairngorms Ltd, while the other was born at Rothiemurchus near Aviemore.

Beavers were first reintroduced to Scotland in 2009, though some have been released illegally.

The Cairngorms reintroduction project is a collaboration between Cairngorms National Park Authority, RSPB Scotland, and Wildland Cairngorms Ltd, which oversees several estates.

In March, three more beavers were translocated to RSPB Scotland’s Insh Marshes nature reserve near Kingussie after being trapped in the River Tay catchment area and undergoing health checks at Five Sisters Zoo.

Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, of the Beaver Trust, said: “The successful birth of a kit is what all the partners on this project have been hoping for this summer.”

The release sites are in the upper River Spey catchment. Established beaver populations already exist in Tayside, the Forth, Knapdale, and Loch Lomond.

 

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