Written Question · S5W-29088 · Session 5
How many beavers were killed under licenced lethal control measures in the calendar year 2019, also broken down by what information it has …
The question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were killed under licenced lethal control measures in the calendar year 2019, also broken down by what information it has regarding the (a) date of each incident, (b) number of family groups of beavers that were killed and how many were in each group and (c) sex and age of the beavers, and how many of the beavers were subject a post-mortem by the agency or its agents to verify that there was compliance with the appropriate animal welfare regulations.
The answer
87 beavers were killed under licensed lethal control measures in 2019.
a) All the records of beaver control have a date.
b) The controller return data obtained does not currently allow a comprehensive answer to be provided on the size of family groups and the numbers of beavers killed in each group. Scottish Natural Heritage has cross-referenced the licence returns with the territories established in the 2017-18 survey. This indicates that lethal control or live-trapping has taken place within around 13% of territories. In addition , lethal control was carried out in two territories not previously recorded in this survey.
c) 56 of 87 records have a classification as adult, sub-adult or kit. The sex of the animal was not included on the template due to the difficulty of determining this in the field. The carcases of two beavers shot under licence have been provided by licence-holders and subjected to a post-mortem examination.
a) All the records of beaver control have a date.
b) The controller return data obtained does not currently allow a comprehensive answer to be provided on the size of family groups and the numbers of beavers killed in each group. Scottish Natural Heritage has cross-referenced the licence returns with the territories established in the 2017-18 survey. This indicates that lethal control or live-trapping has taken place within around 13% of territories. In addition , lethal control was carried out in two territories not previously recorded in this survey.
c) 56 of 87 records have a classification as adult, sub-adult or kit. The sex of the animal was not included on the template due to the difficulty of determining this in the field. The carcases of two beavers shot under licence have been provided by licence-holders and subjected to a post-mortem examination.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-29088 by reference.