Scottish Beaver

There is so much to say here. First off, I only recently found out that the Scots have been without beaver for approximately 400 years. I can hardly imagine the suffering.

But, according to the Scottish Beaver's Network home page, "[the Scots] are within touching distance of having beavers back in Scotland." I couldn't have said it better myself.

This redOrbit article states that the Scottish government has licensed a re-introduction program to begin in '09, with the introduction of 4 families of European Beaver that are to be trapped in Norway and held for a while in quarantine before they are introduced. Being of Norwegian origin, it makes me wonder whether they will be the brown or the blond varieties.

There is much conjecture about the difference between European beaver and it's close American cousins. Let Wikipedia put these conjectures to rest, "The European beaver is usually heavier than its North American relative, ... It is also said to have weaker teeth and lesser reproductive capacity." There you have it, question answered.

Fanciful biological daydreams aside, this will be a huge boon to Scotland, not only for wildlife and biodiversity, but for the economy. As the Scottish Beaver network states, beaver not only stabilize water levels and improve habitat, but they encourage tourism. You bet they do!

Surprisingly, this will be the first official re-introduction of a native mammalian species in the U.K. I look forward to hearing how the project pans out.

Enjoy good conservation news, even when it is replete with double bad double entendre,

Bp

[photo via the wonderful European Beaver Wiki]