Busy beavers making a comeback

RODENT lovers are over the moon – beavers are breeding again in Scotland.

Three families from Norway were released into lochs at Knapdale Forest in Kintyre last year. Now, two of the families have at least one new cub each. Captive beavers have bred elsewhere in Britain but these are the first wild ones to be born there in almost five hundred years. The species was last seen in 1527.

The beaver, one of the world’s most remarkable animals, is the largest rodent in Europe and the second largest in the world. This chubby overweight relative of the guinea-pig has prominent whiskers and a paddle-shaped tail. The swimming-aid doubles as a warning device: parents alert the family to danger by slapping the water surface.