{"id":41231,"date":"2024-08-16T09:57:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T07:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/6aa1a6f2-9be9-4f68-8b74-33e644d7e3de"},"modified":"2024-08-16T10:27:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T08:27:35","slug":"beaver-babies-are-popping-up-all-over-the-uk-now-four-more-have-been-spotted-in-london","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/beaver-babies-are-popping-up-all-over-the-uk-now-four-more-have-been-spotted-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Beaver babies are popping up all over the UK \u2013 now four more have been spotted in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been a bumper summer for beavers, with newborns recorded in Northumberland, Kent, the Cairngorms and now London, highlighting the success of a recent drive to reintroduce the native mammal to the UK. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Friday, 16 August 2024 at 07:57 AM<\/p>

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Four new beaver<\/a> kits have been spotted at an enclosure in London, bringing the family total to seven.<\/strong><\/p>

They are the first baby beavers to be born in the city for 400 years, after the native mammal was hunted to extinction in the 16th century.<\/p>

The new arrivals were caught on camera at a six-hectare enclosure near Forty Hall Estate in Enfield, where a project to reintroduce beavers to London (a collaboration between Enfield Council and Capel Manor College) has been ongoing since 2022.<\/p>

There are now seven beavers in the family at Enfield. Credit: Capel Manor College<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cThe arrival of the kits highlights the success of our collaboration and the dedication of our staff and students,” says Meg Wilson, Animal Collection Manager at Capel Manor College.<\/p>

“Monitoring and documenting the positive impact of the beavers is providing invaluable hands-on learning opportunities and underscores the critical role of biodiversity and natural habitat restoration.<\/p>

“We look forward to witnessing the growth of the kits and their future contribution to the transformation or the local ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>

Caught on camera: beaver kits explore their new surroundings in London. Credit: Capel Manor College<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The kits spotted in Enfield are the latest in a series of sightings across the UK.<\/p>

Earlier this month, two kits were born in the\u00a0Cairngorms\u00a0National Park in Scotland after a coordinated effort to re-establish the species in the\u00a0area.<\/p>

\u201cThere are also encouraging signs of breeding behaviour at other locations \u2013 including evidence of them busily expanding their lodges \u2013 so we are hopeful that there will be more kits to come,” says Sarah Henshall, Head of Conservation at the\u00a0Cairngorms\u00a0National Park Authority.<\/p>

Meanwhile, in July, camera traps caught a glimpse of a beaver kit<\/a> playing in the water with its mother at Wallington Estate in Northumberland.<\/p>

There are now believed to be about 1,500 beavers in\u00a0Scotland\u00a0and up to 800 in England.<\/p>

More amazing wildlife stories<\/strong><\/p>