A Scottish city has become the first place in the UK to become home to a resident population of ‘urban’ beavers.
A study of the aquatic animals north of the border has found signs they have settled on the River Tay and have journeyed as far as the city centre of Perth.
The survey found that the dam-building mammals have established a “strong presence” in the area since 2017, and have now widened their range.
The animals are most likely feral beavers whose forebears escaped captivity, and are not thought to be connected to the scientific beaver trial at Knappdale in Argyll.
Researchers from the University of Exeter, who conducted the probe for Scottish Government body NatureScot, found many signs of beaver activity in the area, including fresh field signs on Moncreiffe Island in the River Tay.
Along the river at the North Inch, there were also obvious signs of beaver presence, such as gnawed and felled riverside trees.
The River tay flows through Perth
The survey work in Tayside and surrounding areas is part of a large programme being completed in the autumn and winter when there are fewer leaves on trees and beaver signs are easier to spot.
In spite of the cold and snowy conditions, surveyors have completed over 100 field survey days so far with thousands of confirmed field signs left by beavers, walking along water courses and canoeing the larger rivers.
Survey work continues with key areas still to be surveyed including parts of the Trossachs area, River Forth and Teith, part of lower River Tay, South Esk, and some minor burn and ditch systems within Tayside.
READ MORE: Public wants beavers rehomed, not killed, survey shows
Denise Reed, NatureScot’s Tayside & Grampian Area Manager, said: “The City of Perth already has an abundance of wildlife on its doorstep and we’re excited to hear about the beavers in Perth. It can lay claim to being the first city in the UK to have its own resident beaver families.”
The survey began on October 1. When completed, the results will be analysed, with up-to-date mapping and current estimates of the number of active territories, available this summer.
Beavers on the River Tay
Professor Richard Brazier, project lead from the University of Exeter said: "The survey work is important because it enables us to understand, with an objective approach, how beaver territories have changed, where beaver are living and what impacts, both positive and negative, beavers are having on our ecosystems.
READ MORE: Nature agency faces court action over beaver culls
“When we compare the results with those of the previous survey that we ran three years ago, we are also able to look at the impact of beaver management on beaver numbers and territories, to learn lessons and improve our approaches to beaver management in the future."
The public can contribute to this survey by reporting sightings of beavers and their field signs using the Mammal Society’s Mammal Mapper app.
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