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beavers ,,why ?

Why not Bears, Wolves or anything else that some crackpot tree hugger can think of, next thing you know it will be the Burbot :)
 
Apparently the selling pitch is beavers prevent flooding by making dams. Perhaps if we hadn't built on so many flood plains and screwed the environment up we wouldn't need them.
They have been extinct in this country for 400 years so cannot see the point of trying to re-introduce them. Joking aside there is a project in Scotland trying to re-introduce wolves into the wild, I get nervous when I here rats in the dark never mind a flaming great apex predator.
 
Isn't there already some down sarf.
 
AND, didn't someone try to reintroduce dinosaurs on some sort of long lost Pacific island?

AND, if beavers are handy at building dams, what else are they proficient at, DIY wise? Isn't it bad enough in this country without having beavers taking jobs from local craftsman.
 
beaver

theres a problem with the beavers on the river otter ,they are carrying a intrusive parasite, not sure what but remember hearing about them or watching something on them,the beavers were brought in from Germany I think,and are being bred on a farm in sw England. not sure but are germans beavers hairyier than others?
 
As far as I know the Beavers on the Otter were suspected of carrying the the parasitic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis - however many of the experts claim that the chances of them carrying this parasite were negligable and have also pointed out that this parasite is also carried by many other forms of wildlife (foxes, rats etc) and also domestic dogs. The chances of the beavers carrying this parasite are slightly increased if they originated from an area where the parasite is endemic in the local population - Bavaria being one such area.

Apparently it is an easy parasite to detect as it just requires DNA analysis of their faeces (nice work if you get it), which means trapping isn't necessary.

Everyone seems to have known about the beavers on the River Otter for well over a year now, but yet we seem no closer no knowing if they carry this parasite or not. Very strange...

Echinococcus multilocularis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
They were introduced a few years ago to some wetlands in far away Kent as a project.
From the pictures shown they really do not add anything to the ambiance of the bank side,,felled trees,branches,debris.

It was said they only build dams if water levels drop and that they do benefit a few other mammals with the enviroment they create.

EA clear the rivers to help flood prevention and Billy beaver blocks it up again.
That is a bit harsh perhaps but from what little I know I hope they dont spread too much.

Wonder if any peeps that know about beavers looking in could enlighten me/us.
 
Mark Thompson said:
They were introduced a few years ago to some wetlands in far away Kent as a project.
From the pictures shown they really do not add anything to the ambiance of the bank side,,felled trees,branches,debris.

It was said they only build dams if water levels drop and that they do benefit a few other mammals with the enviroment they create.

EA clear the rivers to help flood prevention and Billy beaver blocks it up again.
That is a bit harsh perhaps but from what little I know I hope they dont spread too much.

Wonder if any peeps that know about beavers looking in could enlighten me/us.
Click to expand...

'Ambience of the bank side'

I guess that's a very subjective but not uncommon view, but is has to be said that woody debris and bankside coppicing (where appropriate) are increasingly being recognised as beneficial to the wider ecology of the riparian zone.

Personally I believe over-tidiness to be the bane of the British countryside, hence the dearth of deadwood and stag-headed trees and the proliferation of over-trimmed and sprayed-out/strimmed verges. It may all look tidier and more aesthetically pleasing to some - but there is no getting away from the fact that it's lousy for the wildlife that lives there!

There is also a school of thought that suggests that beaver dams along headwaters can help to reduce flooding by slowing down the flow of floodwater - obviously this would be different in highly managed / controlled low-lowland systems such as the Somerset Levels or Fens.
 
i heard some had appeared on the Cotswold water park. Personally i want Bears brought back...they look cute, more so than Beavers or Otters and as a bonus they will probably eat the beavers and otters, maybe even cormorants.

Bring back Bears :)
 
Quite a lot of beaver living in Scotland now and here to stay, breeding well.


Is there still burbot in UK?

Garry
 
one stiff beaver

one of the beavers died and was carrying the parasite! and don't we have dogs inoculated against it?
 
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