Wildlife experts have said wild beavers in Scotland are being trapped and shot because ministers have broken promises to make them a protected species. A group of 17 prominent ecologists and conservation bodies have signed a letter to the Guardian urging the Scottish government to honour its pledge two years ago to legislate to protect more than 400 wild beavers in the southern Highlands and Tayside. In response to the letter, ministers said they now planned to table the regulations some time next year. A recent study by Scottish Natural Heritage, the government conservation agency, estimated there were roughly 430 in the wild. He said the union “accepts that beavers are now here to stay and that they will be protected”.

Source: The Guardian December 21, 2018 06:00 UTC