Scottish beavers headed for zoo

EDINBURGH, Scotland, April 28 (UPI) -- A pair of beavers who built a home on a Perthshire loch are believed to be the first members of their species to live in the wild in Scotland in 250 years.

But one animal has already been trapped, and the other faces a future in captivity. They are believed to have been released illegally.

Edwin Blake, a head keeper at the Edinburgh Zoo, who is leading the hunt for the toothsome pair, told The Scotsman he would like to see wild beavers re-established in Scotland. But he does not like animals being released at random.

"Frankly, that was just stupidity as well as being illegal," he said. "If you are going to release these animals then it has to be part of a properly controlled and monitored experiment. These would be captive animals and it's just not fair to dump them in the countryside."

Beavers, once common in Scotland, were killed for their pelts and as food. The Catholic Church even allowed some parts of the beaver to be eaten on Fridays instead of fish.

Farmers have succeeded so far in blocking plans to reintroduce the beaver.