Letter: End of a tale

AS WINTER turns to spring, the story of the Free Beavers of the Tay has taken another twist and, like one of the tales of Narnia, it even has a "wicked witch" in it.

Under the direction of Roseanna Cunningham, the SNP environment minister, a young wild Tayside beaver, known as Erica by the Scottish Wild Beaver Group, was captured by agents of Scottish Natural Heritage on 8 December, 2010. SNH insist on describing her capture as a "re-capture" although she was born free, a descendent of beavers living in the wild for at least ten years. She was delivered into the "care" of Edinburgh Zoo.

SNH claim that one of their reasons for "re"-capturing the wild beavers was welfare concerns. In response to a request under the Freedom of Information legislation, the authorities have had to admit that Erica is dead.

DAVID GIBBON

Jordan Lane

Edinburgh