New photo from Roland this morning, I would recognize this as Napa from a million miles away. Look at all that duckweed surrounding that adorable little face,

Keep looking back at that photo as you read this fairly upsetting article from the Scottish Farmer noting that there has been ‘JUST ENOUGH KILLING’ to keep everything ship shape.

Beaver management proving fit for purpose

Scottish Natural Heritage has released a new report revealing its beaver licensing statistics – in the eight months following the species being given formal protection on May 1, 2019, the agency issued 45 licences which permitted either lethal control or dam removal.

Licenses were granted when there was no other effective solution to prevent serious agricultural damage. Five of the licences permitted dam removal or manipulation only. All licences were issued for the purpose of preventing serious damage to agriculture and all but one of these (97.5%) were issued on land classified by Scottish Government as prime agricultural land, which makes up 13% of Scotland’s land cover. Evidence of serious damage included waterlogged fields and crops, as well as erosion on riverbanks and embankments.

Under these licences, 15 beavers were trapped and moved to either Knapdale or a trial reintroduction project and fenced sites in England, 83 beaver dams were removed, and 87 beavers were shot by trained and accredited controllers.

Licenses were granted when there was no other effective solution to prevent serious agricultural damage.

Mind you, I’m not Scotish, but I think I have a VERY VERY GOOD idea of exactly what kind of exhaustive nonlethal measures were tried to prevent damage. I’m going to guess it involved ripping out the dam, and when the beavers built it back, well then lethal means were needed.

GRR.

So basically like a quarter of the population? That’s all? Who knew that beaver killing would be a side effect of Brexit. Well, besides us that is.

“It’s always been clear to both us and our partners that lethal control of beavers will sometimes be necessary under licence as a last resort when other mitigation is unlikely to be effective,” said SNH director of sustainable growth, Robbie Kernahan. “Some of the well documented and most serious issues have occurred on the most productive areas of agricultural land in Scotland. Due to their generally being well-drained, low-lying and flat, these areas are often vulnerable to beaver burrowing and dam building,” he explained.

I want a list. I want a list with photographs explaining each issue caused and the brilliant steps taken to resolve it before beavers were killed. You have one, right?

Welcoming the report, NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: “In its first year of operation, the accreditation, management and licensing framework for managing beavers…is proving effective and fit for purpose.

“It has allowed the management of beavers in those areas of productive farmland where the species has had a clear impact,” he continued. “The report notes that more than 90% of beaver territories have been unaffected by the licensing system.

We were might suspicious at the onset, but after careful consideration and examination the killing appears to work just fine. What a relief. Will someone much wiser than me please explain the ridiculous final paragraph?

“While that may involve lethal control, we note from the report that three-quarters of licence holders have proactively engaged with the role of trapping. NFUS is encouraged to see that where mitigation was proven to have worked, there was no longer a need for licensing.” he concluded.

I’m pretty sure it means farmers are so good at killing beavers they should just be allowed to get on with it themselves? You know like in Oregon where any private landowner can kill any beaver on his land without interference.

Please ask the farmers union if they would still like the water?