Two baby beavers born as part of wildlife project

Two baby beavers have been born at The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, marking an important step in a wildlife reintroduction project. The parent beavers, named Twiggy and Byrti, were introduced to a specially designed enclosure on the estate in 2023 and 2024. This effort is part of a national program to bring beavers back to Britain, where they had been extinct for over 400 years. The Lost Gardens of Heligan is one of several places working to reintroduce these animals and study their effects on the environment.

Toby Davies, the wildlife coordinator at the gardens, shared that the baby beavers, also called kits, are a couple of months old. He explained that it is common for beaver parents to keep their young hidden for the first few months of their lives. Suddenly, the kits appear, surprising everyone. Davies expressed his excitement, saying he feels like a proud dad. In the wild, beaver kits usually stay with their parents for a couple of years before moving on to start their own families.

The reintroduction of beavers is being closely monitored to see how they affect local biodiversity, help prevent flooding, and interact with grazing livestock. Beavers are considered a keystone species, meaning they play a crucial role in their ecosystem. By building dams and creating wetlands, they provide habitats for many other plants and animals. The Lost Gardens of Heligan is working with organizations like The Welsh Beaver Project, Beaver Trust, and Natural England to ensure the success of the program. In addition to beavers, the gardens have also reintroduced water voles and glow worms, and they plan to bring back red squirrels in the future. The baby beavers have not been named yet, but the staff is looking forward to naming them soon. This project highlights the importance of working together to restore wildlife and improve the natural environment.