Trip gives an insight into beaver

Beavers were once native to Scotland

Gamekeepers and wildlife experts from Scotland have looked at how beavers are managed in Norway.

The group drawn from individuals and bodies closely linked to the Cairngorms National Park spent eight days in Hedmark county.

The park authority said information gathered could add to the debate on whether beavers should be re-introduced to Scotland.

They also studied land and deer management practices.

Six gamekeepers from estates around the Cairngorms and representatives from the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Forestry Commission Scotland and Dee Salmon Fishery Board went to Norway.

The trip was funded by the EU Nature Exchange programme.

Beaver fact file The mammal was hunted to extinction in Scotland more than 400 years ago The growth of Inverness during the Middle Ages was because of the trade in beaver pelts, according to the Scottish Beavers Network Beavers live in 'lodges' made from felled trees and branches where they raise their young, which are called kits

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has carried out an investigation into a proposed trial of re-introducing beaver to Argyll.

A spokesman for CNPA, which organised the trip, said: "The visitors were given the opportunity to see the species in their natural habitat as well as the landscape impacts they can create.

"It also provided them with new insights and understanding of beavers, their management and habitats, which they will now be able to share in the debate in Scotland about re-introduction and possible locations.

"The group felt that if there was re-introduction in Scotland, a similar management approach to Norway needs to be adopted."