Beavers are breeding in north Cumbria, with two kits born this summer.
Cumbria Beaver Group has announced the arrival of two beaver kits at the Lowther Estate near Penrith.
It’s four years since a pair of Eurasian beavers, Glen and Dragonfly, were introduced in a licensed, enclosed scientific release. It appears to be the first time the beavers successfully bred, much to the delight of conservationists around the county.
It’s thought that the kits were born in May or June this year, but the group has waited for the young family to establish itself and to ensure the kits were thriving, before releasing footage of them, taken on camera traps.
Elizabeth Ogilvie, ecologist at The Lowther Estate said: “It has been a joy to watch the beaver kits through the trail cameras this summer. This winter the beaver adults developed their lodge and expanded their ponds, thus creating some wetland in the grassland part of the enclosure.
“Careful grazing with water buffalo, keeping the grass short, maintaining damp flushes and muddy edges, has also helped to foster a perfect habitat for lapwing who have bred in the area for the first time, alongside families of mallards, moorhens and greylags.
“In addition, we have spotted a number of bats on the trail cameras feeding on insects above the pools. None of this would have taken place if the beavers had not created the wetland habitat.”
David Harpley, chair of Cumbria Beaver Group, said: “We’re delighted that the Lowther beavers have bred successfully this year and are rearing two kits, who seem to be doing very well.
“Since arriving at Lowther in 2020, beavers have been bringing a whole host of benefits to the wetland landscape. As well as helping biodiversity, people benefit from these ecosystem engineers too: by holding water back in the landscape, they reduce the risk of flooding downstream.
“In 2022 we welcomed the news that beavers in England will be given the protection they need and deserve through legislation. However, we’re still waiting for the Government to put in place the steps needed for their return, such as licences for beavers to be returned to the wild in England and the publishing of strategic plans to enable beavers to be reintroduced.”
The beavers at Lowther are in a fenced-in enclosure on the Lowther Estate and cannot be visited by members of the public.
Beavers are a keystone species and have a highly positive impact on their environment. These industrious herbivores are native to mainland Britain but were hunted to extinction in the 16th century by people who wanted their fur, meat, and scent glands. The end of beavers led to the loss of the mosaic of lakes, meres, mires, tarns, and boggy places that they were instrumental in creating.
The aim of Cumbria Beaver Group is to enable the well-planned and managed reintroduction of beavers to Cumbria, through the delivery and support of enclosed scientific beaver release trials, as well as community engagement and advocacy.
In the long term, the group would like to see beavers return to Cumbria. However, it said, it was vital that any reintroduction was well planned, well managed and has the support of the local community.
Cumbria Beaver Group is made up of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, The RSPB, The Lowther Estates and Eden Rivers Trust and is working in consultation with Natural England, the Environment Agency, United Utilities, Forestry England, the University of Cumbria and others.
