Beaver release at Wallington going 'swimmingly' as baby kit is born one year on

The Wallington team spotted the heavily pregnant female in May, less than twelve months after the four beavers were released on July 12, 2023, and confirmed the birth after recent footage shows the kit with its mother and taking a dip.

Helen McDonald, the National Trust’s lead ranger at Wallington said: “We are thrilled that after an absence of around 400 years we now have beavers back and breeding at Wallington. They have put a lot of effort into building and maintaining their lodges and getting their family settled, showing great perseverance and resilience during their relocation and then during the floods we’ve had over the last year.”

“It’s such a relief that they have bred successfully and to see a new fluffy kit swimming with the family, we know now they must feel at home here at Wallington.

“We’ll continue to monitor the family to check on their health and condition and follow the new kit’s progress.”

These beavers are one of three populations in Northern England and over 25 National Trust volunteers have dedicated 208 hours in the past 12 months to care for them.

Beavers were hunted to extinction during the sixteenth century but their return has seen them slow the flow of water, allowing it to spill out creating ponds covering half a football pitch.

Paul Hewitt countryside manager for the National Trust at Wallington added: “As a keystone species, we have watched with keen interest as beavers do what beavers do, expertly altering their river environment to the massive benefit of other species. With the development of dams, we are starting to see the benefits of beavers in slowing water flows and making the flood plain more resilient to future climate change.

“As a stark reminder of our changing climate, the release of the beavers here, coincided with the wettest 18-months ever recorded in England. Despite many winter storms with near record river levels recorded the beavers have continued to thrive.”

They’re building a more resilient environment to climate change and the resulting wetlands boost biodiversity and produce a wetland ecosystem, which attracts species like trout, kingfishers, grey herons, Daubenton’s bats and white-clawed crayfish.

Sandra King, Beaver Trust CEO shared her support for the reintroduction project: "It's been a wonderful year working with the National Trust team at Wallington, and another important one for the species' restoration.

“It's been a real privilege to follow a year in the life of this Northumberland site, the change along river and floodplain, and we look forward very much to the next 12 months which include offering new CIEEM-accredited beaver training on site".

Wallington is three years into a major nature recovery project called Wilder Wallington and the release of beavers was made possible through a partnership between the National Trust and the Beaver Trust, who carried out the translocation under licence from Nature Scot and Natural England, and generous funding by the Reece Foundation.

Visitor access to the beaver enclosure is carefully managed in partnership with wildlife experience providers Wild Intrigue. For details of tours and further information visit their website.