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Columnist and Life

The battle to bring beavers back to Scotland

The reintroduction of beavers has already transformed parts of the Scottish landscape and provided much-needed habitats for many animals, delighting conservationists but alarming some landowners

By Michael Le Page

30 November 2023

Wild beaver on the River Tay

Elliot McCandless/Beaver Trust

The following is an extract from our nature newsletter Wild Wild Life. Sign up to receive it for free in your inbox every month.

The long silence was broken by an almighty thwack. A beaver swimming nearby had suddenly realised it was being watched from the bank and done a tail slap to warn the rest of the family. It was a dramatic end to my first ever sight of wild beavers.

Hunting wiped out all the beavers in Britain around four centuries ago. They…

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