It was a thrill to help release into the wild a pair of beavers last week as part of their ongoing reintroduction to the River Spey catchment in the Cairngorms National Park.
I was accompanied by colleagues from the Cairngorms National Park Authority, NatureScot, the Beaver Trust, and WildLand Limited, on whose land the release took place.
I helped carry one of the transport cages from the van to the water's edge. The impressive weight, coupled with the fact I couldn't see the cages' contents because they were totally covered with sheets, led me to wonder whether I might be releasing a pygmy hippo.
However, once the two partly obscured animals made their way through the sedge vegetation at the water's edge, and out into open water to explore their new home, I was reassured that I had just helped to restore a native species that's been missing from the Cairngorms for several centuries. A very satisfying moment!
#rewilding #ecology #environment #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #cairngorms #nationalparks