HA! I thought beavers stopped leaks. Ba-dum-dump. Well wales is next in line and they’re feeling optimistic.
Beavers could be reintroduced to Wales after centuries’ absence
Beavers could return to Wales for the first time in hundreds of years, after being successfully reintroduced in other parts of the UK.
Wildlife experts are submitting a licence application to release 10 beavers in the south of the country and hope the reintroduction could begin this year.
The Scottish government recently decided to list beavers as a protected species after a successful trial reintroduced the animals into the wild, and a pair were also released on the Otter river in Devon in May.
In England, beaver numbers on the Otter have increased, with two established pairs producing offspring, or kits. One female produced five kits, well above the average of three, the programme’s manager, Mark Elliot, said.
A new male and female released on the Otter in May to increase the genetic diversity of England’s only wild beaver population have also settled in well, he said.
“They have been very visible, people have been able to watch them. We’ve had a lot of people down here beaver watching in the summer,” Elliott said.
“That’s been benefiting the local pubs and B&Bs, and people are talking about ‘beaver tourism’, which is really encouraging.”
Alicia Leow-Dyke, the Welsh beaver project officer for the Wildlife Trusts Wales, said there would now be a public consultation. A first application was made to Natural Resources Wales a year ago.
This is why wise mothers never give one of their children a cookie. Because pretty soon they’ll all want one. Wales is only asking what Scotland and Devon have asked before them. They will be presenting at the beaver conference next month and has been doing their homework studiously. One thing I will truly miss once every British commonwealth successfully gets beavers, is reading articles like this in a large international papers:
Leow-Dyke said there was evidence from Europe that beavers’ negative impacts could be managed and the scheme would have a net benefit.
The enjoyment factor of seeing the creatures in the wild and easy-to-spot field signs of their presence could be used to encourage children to explore the natural world, she said.
Liz Halliwell, a mammal ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, said beavers were once part of the country’s native wildlife and could create rich and varied habitats that made the environment stronger and healthier.
And trust me, when you read a sentence like ‘observable beaver sign can be educational to children’ you better dam well believe that our work in Martinez has been visible around the world. And I’m not being an ego maniac. Simon Jones was in charge of the Scottish beaver trial and made friends after he saw the video of our kids ‘reintroducing beavers’ in the country at the 2009 festival. And the Devon and Wales beavers learned from him and from Derek Gow who was at the last conference and is a friend of our work.
It’s a beaver club, trust me. And you want in.
