Cornish nature reserve welcomes first beaver babies

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14e3r20jnpo

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The kits are the offspring of parents were released illegally at Helman Tor

A nature reserve in Cornwall has welcomed its first beaver babies, or kits.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) confirmed the presence of the kits at Helman Tor, near Bodmin, using footage from camera traps.

The kits are the offspring of parents that appeared from a "beaver bombing", an illegal release which took place in early 2024.

Cheryl Marriott, from CWT, said: "While we don't condone the way beavers arrived at Helman Tor, it's hard not to celebrate the birth of kits."

A beaver kit's squeaks can be heard on camera trap footage and one was just visible in some shots

She said the beavers were "already transforming the landscape in remarkable ways, and this is just the beginning".

The births come soon after beaver kits were also born at Lost Gardens of Heligan estate.

The trust said beavers, were a "vital ally in the face of climate change" because of their dam building, which creates drought-resistant wetlands.

CWT said the births were "a hopeful sign for the future of wild beavers in Cornwall" which highlighted "the impact the animals are already having at Helman Tor nature reserve".

The trust said it would "continue to monitor the beavers as part of its Wild Beaver Project", which aims to reintroduce beavers around the Par and Fowey rivers.

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