Beaver births recorded for second consecutive year

17 hours ago

Evie Lake

BBC News, North East and Cumbria

Beavers were introduced to Northumberland's Wallington Estate in 2023

National Trust Images/Paul Harris A beaver in a woodland. It has brown, wet-looking fur. It is surrounded by leaves and branches which somewhat camouflage it. A small body of water can be seen next to it. — Beavers were introduced to Northumberland's Wallington Estate in 2023

Two beavers have been born in Northumberland in the second consecutive year of successful breeding since their reintroduction.

The kits' arrival on the Wallington Estate, near Rothbury, comes two years after the National Trust released four beavers into an enclosure on the site.

Their release was part of efforts to restore the environment and help create a wildlife-rich wetland landscape.

Last year, a beaver was born in the county for the first time since the 1600s, conservationists said.

Camera trap footage from Wallington captured the first sightings of the young kits with their mother in July.

Beavers became extinct in Britain because of hunting for their fur, meat and scent glands

National Trust Images/Paul Harris A beaver walking across some grass. There is some straw in the background. — Beavers became extinct in Britain because of hunting for their fur, meat and scent glands

In their two years on the site, the beavers have helped boost biodiversity by slowing the flow of water through a network of nine dams within the enclosure, the National Trust said.

Paul Hewitt, countryside manager at the charity, said the animals have also made the flood plain more resilient to climate change.

"Since welcoming the family of beavers to Wallington the resulting impact on the water environment has been nothing short of astonishing," he said.

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