Beavers have returned to Cairngorms wild after 400 years but what damage has been caused?
The initial impact of the return of beavers to the Cairngorms after four centuries has so far proved to be low-key.
Once hunted to extinction, beavers were reintroduced under licence in December 2023 at three sites in the strath - Rothiemurchus Estate, RSPB Insh Marshes, and land owned by Scotland’s largest landowner billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen.
Since then the creatures have started to grow in number and spread in range in the strath.
But a Freedom of Information (Scotland) request by the Strathy has revealed so far that there has been little contentious damage and no financial claims have been made by farmers, crofters and other landowners.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority has overseen the reintroduction of the beaver which is the world’s second largest rodent.
There have been concerns from the farming community in particular over potential damage beavers could cause especially to floodbanks.
A CNPA spokesperson said in the FoI response: “To date there have been three cases of a landowner requesting the park authority to apply for a licence to fill in an unoccupied beaver burrows.
“Two licences were granted at Old Milton and RSPB at Insh Marshes in March and August, earlier this year, as the burrow was on the site boundary and another at Kingussie Grazings in May, also this year.
“There has also been one dam removal - one built in a farm’s drainage ditch - in November, last year.
“The farmer wishes the location of this site not to be made public. The farmer was satisfied with the course and speed of action taken by the park authority officials.”
The park authority said there are no reported beaver incidents with outstanding ‘dissatisfication’ over the initial response provided by their staff.
The CNPA also confirmed no financial claims have been submitted so far to a fund they manage to repair damage caused by beavers
Meanwhile, the park’s chief executive Grant Moir has provided an update to board members at their latest meeting on the reintroduction of beavers
He said: “33 beavers have been released, as part of the five-year licence agreement for up to 15 families of pairs or 50 individuals.
“A total of 66 people were involved in 60 beaver kit watches in spring and summer helping us confirm breeding at eight of the nine beaver territories.
“Eight of the pairs produced 17 kits.”
He added: “The beaver management and mitigation group continue to meet and discuss how the park authority's response to managing the impacts of beavers is working on-the-ground.”