Night-time safaris will meet demand from eager beaver fans

MORE than 6,500 people have taken part in activities related to the reintroduction of beavers in Scotland over the past two years, new figures show.

Now night-time safaris are to start at the site of the trial reintroduction project in mid-Argyll to give people the chance to get a glimpse of the species, which was hunted to extinction in Scotland 400 years ago.

A beaver education ranger, funded by an anonymous £30,000 donation, has been employed who will be based at Knapdale Forest to lead the events, as well as guided walks and local education activities, until the end of the trial in 2014.

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It is hoped this will help attract at least 1,000 extra people to the area to visit the beavers over the coming year.

Hotels and other businesses close to the project site say they have already been boosted by an influx of visitors.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has calculated 6,600 people have taken part in beaver-related activities since the trial started in 2009, from guided walks to talks and school visits.

The beavers were released into Knapdale Forest, six miles west of Lochgilphead, two and a half years ago, in the scheme run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland. Project manager Simon Jones said: “Local people and businesses have taken the beavers to heart. We hope we can tell thousands more people about the beavers of Scotland in the years to come.”

The beaver safaris led by the new education ranger will cost £2 for adults and £1 for children to cover the slight shortfall in funding to meet the cost of the ranger. They will take place after dusk, when the animals are at their most active.

Those people who are not fortunate enough to see a beaver will still be able to spot signs of activity such as gnawed trees, branches stripped of bark and beaver canals.

Eighteen guided walks during the summer of 2011 attracted 599 people, surpassing the expectations of organisers.

Forestry Commission Scotland has improved visitor facilities and trails around the Barnluasgan Information Centre. A spokesman for SWT said: “Despite it being not the easiest place to get to, we have had surprisingly high numbers of people visiting.”

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Lonely Planet Magazine described the beaver trial last year as an “instant hit with tourists”.

Darren Dobson, owner of Cairnbaan Hotel, Lochgilphead, which is close to the trial site, said they had benefited from the project.

“We were expecting occupancy to go down about 5 per cent from normal during peak season last year due to the state of the economy, but actually we have been exactly the same.

“I think we can safely say that is beaver-related.”

He added: “The area is absolutely blessed with wildlife anyway and to have something that is unique like this is really the icing on the cake.”

Beavers have been extinct in Scotland for the past 400 years,but if the trial project is a success they could be brought back to other parts of the country. Some farmers and residents have been furious about the project, saying the beavers damage trees and dam watercourses crucial for migrating fish.

But Mr Dobson added: “The vast majority of people don’t care at all.”