FIVE Beaver kits have been born in the wild within Cairngorms National Park, as experts hope for “even more” new arrivals this summer.
After weeks of anticipation, the Cairngorms National Park Authority said they were “delighted” to discover five new arrivals had been captured on their camera traps at two separate sites.
Rangers with the park authority said hopes are high that other breeding pairs may also have been successful.
The five new arrivals follow last year's newborns, which were the first beaver kits in the Cairngorms National Park for 400 years, following the successful reintroduction of the animal in the area less than two years ago.
Conservationists with the park authority say the kits are a positive step towards establishing a healthy, sustainable population of beavers in the area.
Adding that the newborns are a “clear indication” that beavers are thriving in the rich wetland and lochan habitats of the Upper Spey catchment.
Jonathan Willet, Beaver project manager at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said it is “heartening” to see that this year’s breeding season has been a success.
He said: “It’s so exciting to see the new kits emerging from the burrow, exploring the habitat around them with their parents and splashing in the water.
“We’re hopeful that there may be even more kits at other sites, which we are monitoring closely over the next few weeks.
Willet added: “Kits usually stay with their family for two years before leaving the family unit to find a mate.
“Those born last year – the first beaver kits in the Cairngorms National Park for 400 years – are now healthy juveniles, who will be ready to start exploring and finding mates of their own over the next year.
“It’s heartening to see that this year’s breeding season has also been a success.”
Beavers are considered “nature’s engineers” with an incredible ability to rework, restore and re-naturalise the landscape, helping combat climate change and boost biodiversity.
The park authority said they are working with land managers interested in having beavers on their land to identify and prepare sites for the third round of beaver releases in the autumn.
