National Trust site welcomes first kit in 400 years
Beavers have acted as 'ecosystem engineers' at the site.
Wallington Estate in Northumberland has welcomed a baby beaver to its site – the first to be born there in over 400 years.
The birth of the kit, believed to have happened at the end of May, follows the release of a family of Eurasian beavers last year.
The four Eurasian beavers were introduced to the National Trust site on 12 July 2023, as part of a conservation project to increase numbers of the species. In May, the team spotted that one of the female beavers was heavily pregnant.
The conservation team waited eagerly for confirmation of a successful birth, which was revealed in footage from one of the site’s static cameras on the 24 hectare estate.
Footage shows the kit going into the family lodge with its mother, and leaving the embankment for a dip in the water.
The Eurasian beavers are cared for by a team of over 25 National Trust volunteers, who have dedicated 208 volunteer hours in the past 12 months to the beavers’ care. The volunteers have been working with rangers on the site since before the reintroduction of the beavers to ensure their wellbeing.
The colony of beavers at the Wallington Estate are one of the few populations in the north of England, and the location of the charity’s third release.
Beavers act as ‘ecosystem engineers’, creating systems of dams, canals and burrows in the wetland. Through the creation of these ponds and mudscapes, the beavers produced a wetland ecosystem which has attracted a range of wildlife including trout, kingfishers and grey herons.
The beavers also make the environment more resilient to the effects of climate change by preventing flooding events and drought.
Helen McDonald, National Trust’s lead ranger at Wallington Estate, said: “We are thrilled that after an absence of around 400 years we now have beavers back and breeding at Wallington.
‘They have put a lot of effort into building and maintaining their lodges and getting their family settled, showing great perseverance and resilience during their relocation and then during the floods we’ve had over the last year.”
The National Trust team will continue to monitor the family’s health and condition, and will follow the kit’s progress.
Image © Shutterstock
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