Footage of second Scots beaver kit revealed

Footage of a second beaver kit in the Knapdale Forest in Argyll has been released by the Scottish Beaver Trial.

It comes a week after a first young beaver was spotted at the trial site.

Scottish Beaver Trial (SBT) said it suspected further breeding had occurred, but had now managed to capture evidence on camera.

The trial is the first licensed reintroduction of a mammal to the UK and has brought the beaver back to Scotland after a 400-year absence.

The project is taking place at Lochan Buic.

Roisin Campbell Palmer, field operations manager for the Scottish Beaver Trial, said: "We had suspected further breeding had occurred at the site but had not managed to capture it on camera.

"We can now confirm two kits present at this lodge.

"These kits are around three months old. Having spent the first couple of months within the lodge, they are now starting to leaving the lodge and explore their surroundings."

Chasing sibling

She added: "In the camera trap footage you can see them foraging for themselves, and feeding alongside their mother. In one clip, you can see a kit playfully chasing off its sibling, all very natural behaviours.

"They all look in great body condition so we are keen to see their development. Beaver kits tend to remain with their parents until around two years of age before dispersing and finding their own territory."

The five-year trial, which was led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, started in May 2009, when the beavers first arrived in Knapdale from Norway.

It ended this spring, with a report setting out options for the future of beavers in Scotland currently being considered by the environment minister, who is expected to make a decision later in the year.