A 2022 reintroduction program has led to the first baby beaver being born in London in about 400 years.
Capel Manor College posted a video announcement of the news last week noting its partnership with the Enfield Council has led to the birth of a new kit.
Officials wrote, “Baby beaver has already been spotted helping with dam building, swimming and exploring.”
The family is being closely monitored and Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment Cllr Rick Jewell, who stated, “This truly is wonderful news,” via Capel Manor College.
“The adult couple are quite young so we weren’t sure that they would breed successfully in such a short space of time,” he added.
He went on, “You can already see the positive impact the beavers are having through their natural landscaping of the area.”
Beavers were hunted into extinction in the area hundreds of years ago, per Capel Manor College.
Jewell noted their importance to the area. He said, “The beavers’ hard work creating a natural wetland ecosystem will contribute to excellent flood defences, protecting the local area and hundreds of homes from flooding downstream to the south east of the borough, while encouraging local biodiversity to thrive.”
He called them “remarkable animals” and also pointed out, “This project contributes to our rewilding activities and is having an extremely positive impact on our borough.”
According to Capel Manor College, Meg Wilson, the university’s animal collections manager, said, “We are thrilled for this new arrival.”
“We have seen the developments the beavers are making and the improvements they have made to the wetland area,” she went on.
Wilson also added, “We are now focusing our efforts on collecting data, which we hope will further evidence the positive effects the beavers are having on the environment.”
“As Capel Manor College’s conservation efforts grow, this continues to enable us to give our students first-hand experience of conservation and research,” she concluded.