Scottish legal battle begins over licences to shoot beavers

Judicial review to consider claim by campaigners that conservation agency is in breach of habitat rules

Wildlife campaigners are suing Scotland's nature conservation agency for allowing farmers to kill wild beavers, arguing that it is in breach of its duties to protect vulnerable species.

Trees for Life, a charity that campaigns for rewilding, has accused NatureScot of failing to protect beavers and insists the animals should be humanely trapped and relocated to other parts of the country rather than shot.