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Beavers return to county for first time in 400 years

Alex PopeBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Chiew Loo A brown beaver, with just it head and body, and then tail showing, swimming in water, and heading straight towards the camera. A bank is behind it. Chiew Loo
The beavers were released near Biggleswade in two phases

A family of beavers have successfully been released into the Bedfordshire countryside for the first time in 400 years.

A male, a female and two kits were introduced to the Southill Estate, close to Biggleswade, from the end of February, in a project that was two years in the planning.

The Eurasian beavers are "recognised as ecosystem engineers" and their job is to restore the ecology and use their dam building skills to create drought resilience, said Restore, a nature restoration company that worked on the release.

Charles Whitbread, the estate's owner, said it was a "long and complex journey" and seeing the beavers in their new habitat was "truly wonderful".

Chiew Loo Three men, standing by three cages, the man on the left, is holding up a cage door, wearing a green coat, light trousers and dark top, the man in the middle is resting his hands on a cage, and has on a blue shirt, blue gilet and has a beard. A man is standing to the right, wearing jeans, boots and a black hoodie. Chiew Loo
Chiew Loo A beaver coming out of a cage, looking down at the ground, that is full of moss, reeds, grass and foliage. Two cages are by the beaver. Chiew Loo
The beavers being released on the Southill Estate in February
One of the adults checks out its surroundings once it leaves the cage

After two years of careful preparation, licensing and habitat creation, the beavers were released into a purpose-built enclosure at the estate.

Whitbread said: "This has been a long and complex journey, with challenges we didn't always know we would overcome and there were moments when we genuinely wondered whether this day would ever come.

"To finally see the beavers released and swimming in the landscape was truly wonderful, and something I will not forget."

The licence was granted by Natural England, secured in partnership with the Beaver Trust.

A fenced enclosure was constructed, a pond created and willow planted - and a ditch was "re-wiggled" to restore more natural hydrological flow and habitat complexity.

Chiew Loo A brown beaver starting to walk, after being released from a cage. There is foliage on the ground, including leaves, grasses and plants. The beaver is brown, you can just see his feet, face and the back of its body. Chiew Loo
Wetland habitats created by beavers can increase carbon sequestration in soils and vegetation, supporting broader climate mitigation efforts, Restore said

Restore said the industrious rodents were released on the estate in two stages.

The first involved an adult male and two kits sourced from Scotland. A few days later they were joined by an adult female that had spent 14 months at Wildwood Trust being rehabilitated and prepared for independent living.

"The beaver release reflects a broader commitment by the estate owner to manage the land differently, creating space for nature to recover alongside productive land use", Restore said.

"Beaver dams slow water flow, helping to retain water in the landscape, a critical function in Bedfordshire, one of the driest counties in the country.

"By attenuating peak flows, they contribute to natural flood mitigation within the River Ivel chalk stream catchment."

The family will be closely monitored under the terms of the licence.

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