Wild beaver filmed in Devon in January 2014
A wild beaver has been caught on film in Ottery St Mary near the River Otter in Devon (BBC News). Although a wild beaver has been spotted on the River Otter before, it is not known where this animal came from.…
News of the Beaver Project in Devon and the arrival of a kit
In March 2011, two beavers were released into a 2.8 ha enclosure in the headwaters of the River Tamar in Devon, England. The project is run by the Devon Wildlife Trust with the aim of studying how beavers affect the habitat, water quality and wildlife of their wetland environment. Progress on the project can be…
The battle for British beavers
A recent article in British Wildlife reviews the present position of beavers in Britain and, starting from a historical context, considers all the major issues in relation to the official time-limited release of beavers at Knapdale in Scotland, feral beavers on the River Tay in Scotland, and beavers in captive environments in England, Wales and…
Beaver dams contain stores of carbon
The New Scientist has recently reported on the work of Ellen Wohl from Colorado State University in Fort Collins that beaver dams 'lock-up' a considerable amount of carbon and thus provide a valuable service. The research is published in Geophysical Research Letters.…
Wild animals need to be treated with respect – a story from Belarus
A fisherman trying to capture a beaver to be photographed with it in Belarus was bitten several times on the hip and subsequently died. The number of beavers in Belarus is estimated to now be >80,000 animals leading to some human-animal conflict situations, even though they are rare. This story has been published widely in…
150 beavers living wild on the River Tay in Scotland
A report recently published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) estimates that 150 beavers are now living wild on the River Tay in Scotland. The report, mainly based on surveys carried out in the summer of 2012, indicates there are 38 or 39 groups of beavers (0.14-0.15 groups or 0.55 to 0.56 individuals per kilometer of…
Beaver kits seen in Knapdale Forest, Scotland
In early August 2012, three young kits were filmed at Dubh Loch in Knapdale Forest, Scotland. Knapdale Forest is the site of the official Scottish beaver release trial that was set up in 2009. This is encouraging news for the trial which will continue until 2014.…
Beaver project for Wales
Today the Welsh Beaver Project published a report entitled An investigation into the feasibility of reintroducing European beaver to Wales based on 5 years of study. The report, which makes the case for a managed pilot introduction, was supported by the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, John Griffiths who said in a statement, "…the reintroduction of…
Beavers and flood mitigation
Despite being the height of summer, heavy rain in England and Wales seems never-ending and warnings of localised and more extensive flooding are all too frequent. This could be the shape of things to come, and brings sharply into the focus the suggested role of beavers in flood mitigation, water retention, water purification, sediment trapping…
Beaver Found in Farm Slurry Pit in Devon, England
A beaver was found in a slurry pit on a farm near Roborough in Devon on 23rd April 2012. It is possible that its is one of three, named Igor, who escaped from a farm in Lifton in 2008 (two were recaptured at the time, but Igor remained at large), but there is no real…
Beavers in England