At least two kits have appeared just eight months after the pioneering reintroduction of a beaver family to west London.
Their births mark the end of a more than 400-year absence of breeding beavers in urban London: at least two new kits born in the spring appear to be thriving, announced organisers of The Ealing Beaver Project this week.
In what is being called “a huge advancement in urban rewilding”, the successful reintroduction of beavers to London – and now the birth of the kits – is the fruit of a collaboration between multiple organisations and bodies.
The babies have been spotted venturing outside of their lodge in recent weeks at what is a publicly accessible site in Paradise Fields, a wetland in Greenford, west London. Beavers used to be permanent residents in the capital, before hunting, habitat destruction and persecution led to the loss of the species throughout the UK. Their arrival shows that humans and wildlife can thrive side by side in urban environments, said Dr Sean McCormack, the licence holder at the Ealing Beaver Project and chair of Ealing Wildlife Group.
“I had every confidence our beaver family would settle in at Paradise Fields, but to discover they’ve had new baby kits this spring is really the icing on the beaver cake,” he said. “These are not a wilderness species, they are an important animal we once lived alongside up and down the country and welcoming them back, even to our towns and cities, is the right thing to do.
“We may need to learn to live alongside them again, and sometimes manage their behaviour, but the ecosystem services they provide have been clearly demonstrated here already at the Ealing Beaver Project.”
Water quality has improved as a result of their reintroduction, he said, flooding has reduced and more insects and other wildlife had already been attracted to the site.
The project is a collaboration between Ealing Wildlife Group, rewilding organisation Citizen Zoo, the Friends of Horsenden charity and Ealing Council, with support from Beaver Trust and the Mayor of London with funding from the Rewild London Fund. The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, told Positive News that he was delighted at the news. “It was a privilege to be involved in the autumn release of the beavers at Paradise Fields last year and it’s fantastic to see humans and wildlife thrive side by side with this family growing so quickly,” he said. “We are facing climate and ecological emergencies worldwide, but we have the power to make a difference, and I am committed to ensuring that London is at the forefront of the rewilding revolution as we work to re-establish lost species and reconnect people and nature.”
We are facing climate and ecological emergencies worldwide, but we have the power to make a difference
Something of a beaver baby boom seems to be taking place across Britain this summer in spots where the species had been extinct for centuries. New kits have emerged in the Cairngorms in Scotland, in Canterbury in Kent and on the Wallington Estate in Northumberland following various reintroduction projects. While beavers’ dams have multiple environmental benefits, they can block drainage channels and stymie salmon migration, meaning farmers and fishers aren’t always enamoured of their presence.
Setting the scene for a family expansion
Back in London, it was in October 2023 that a family of five Eurasian beavers was first released at Paradise Fields. After a special licence was granted by Natural England, the animals were relocated from wild populations in Scotland by experts at Beaver Trust and Five Sisters Zoo. It was the first project of its kind in the UK, with the first beavers reintroduced into an urban setting on a site that is fully accessible and open to the public.
Within eight months, those from the project say, the family had settled in, built lodges, dams and new waterways.
The thriving beaver family at Paradise Fields could be used as a blueprint for further beaver reintroductions, not only in London, but around the UK. Guided tours around the site will offer an insight into the beaver’s activity and environmental changes caused by their presence, though members of the public are being urged to respect the animals’ space.
The environmental engineers get to work
Paradise Fields, a 10-hectare site made up of woodland, wetlands and meadows, is part of the wider 100-hectare Horsenden Hill green space. Lying to the south of the Grand Union Canal, a tributary of the Costons Brook flows through it, which joins the River Brent and later the Thames. The beaver enclosure covers most of the site, spanning eight hectares in total, which experts say is enough room to comfortably support two to three beaver families.
Already, the beavers have created six dams, allowing the site to hold more water, releasing it slowly after periods of high rainfall. Experts will keep a close eye on progress, studying the site for its flood risk mitigation capacity. More complex wetlands and wet woodland have been created by the animals, noted McCormack, leading to an influx of wildlife, including amphibians, bats, dragonflies, other insects and birds.
The project is led by community groups and their volunteers, with all revenue currently coming from eco-tourism and donations. Anyone who would like to contribute to the ongoing running costs of the project can donate here.
This article was originally published on Positive.news and was republished here, with permission, under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license.
