Beavers thriving in new woodland home

A family of beavers is said to be "very happy" a year after being released into a woodland enclosure as part of a conservation programme.

Two adults and four kits were moved into a five-hectare space in Worcestershire's Wyre Forest in April 2024 under efforts to reintroduce the species to the wild.

Forestry England said the animals had since been hard at work making a home for themselves - and had significantly transformed the area.

"There was just a little stream flowing up through the middle," said area forester Richard Boles. "Now, when you look across the valley here, there's just one big dam covering the whole extent."

Beavers were once widespread in Britain, but were nearly hunted to extinction in the sixteenth century.

They are now a protected species, and Forestry England, in collaboration with Natural England and the Beaver Trust, has been running a scheme to reintroduce them across the country.

Before the animals moved into the Wyre Forest habitat, a lodge was semi-constructed to give them a head start.

But Mr Boles said the beavers had since added another lodge 150m further down the valley, meaning they now had two homes.

They have also built a 30m dam.

"It's a hell of a construction," said Mr Boles. "And the nice thing about it is... people from the forest road look down and they can see all this wonderful activity that the beavers have been doing."

The fact the animals are nocturnal - not to mention naturally shy - means the chances of catching a glimpse of them in action are slim, although cameras have been set up for the experts to keep an eye on them.

And their presence should benefit other species.

"Because of the way the beavers are working here, they're opening up the area," explained Mr Boles. "It was quite secluded. They've felled a lot of young birch, they've felled a couple of ash trees.

"Over the next year, two years or so, the valley will change even more, and provide a more diverse habitat for a greater variety of species."

Mr Boles said the beavers were likely to have bred again earlier this year, meaning more kits would be added to the family by summertime.

"So fingers crossed, we'll see some extra little beavers around the place in June, July."

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