A keen angler is calling for action to be taken to halt the destruction caused by beavers along Perthshire’s riverbanks.
The man was shocked at the damage he witnessed on a fishing trip on the lower River Earn near Bridge of Earn.
“I enjoy nature and wildlife to a great extent and just last year I was of the opinion just to leave the beavers alone but having seen what resembles mass vandalism with axes and chisels just over a six month period, my view has changed somewhat,” said the man, who preferred to remain anonymous.
“A ‘foreign’ or ‘invasive’ animal species that can wreak such havoc on an river’s ecosystem with no chance of the vegetation ever being able to replenish itself is going to forever change the countryside as we currently know it.”
The angler has now contacted Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which has already decided to halt its programme of capturing wild beavers in Tayside.
In an email to SNH he provided photographic evidence of the damage at the fishing beat and expressed his feelings about the bleak future the habitat faces if nothing is done.
“There must be at least 80 to 100 trees or saplings damaged altogether along the whole length, probably more,” he said. “I counted 22 felled trees in one stretch not more than 100ft long and the total stretch damaged must be 1000 to 1500 metres.”
He said there was evidence of beaver footprints in the mud and from the teeth grooves left on the tree stumps. He concluded that there must be several beavers causing the damage as the teeth marks are of several different sizes.
“Just last October I was fishing that stretch of the river throughout the month and there were only six, eight or 12 gnawed-off stumps of trees and other signs of beaver activity but the damage that has been caused over the last six months is extensive to say the least quite incredible, in fact,” he told SNH.
SNH has halted the beaver capture project in Tayside having caught just one animal in four months. A decision on whether or not further measures will be taken remains undecided.
SNH launched the project in November “as a matter of urgency” with around 20 beavers thought to be living wild throughout the area.
“Now that our trapping trial has ended in Tayside, we are taking time to assess the results, speak to all those involved and then decide what to do in the future,” said SNH at the time.