Mayor Welcomes Baby Beavers Born in Greenford
Believed to be the first in urban London in over 400 years
One of the 'kits' was seen on a camera trap. Picture: Ealing Beaver Project
August 13, 2024
Just 8 months after a family of beavers was introduced into Paradise Fields in Greenford, two babies have been spotted.
These ‘kits’ are believed to be the first to have been born in the wild in urban London for over 400 years and the news has been welcomed as a huge advancement in urban rewilding.
The successful reintroduction, and now birth of baby beavers, is the work of The Ealing Beaver Project, a collaboration between Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, Friends of Horsenden and Ealing Council, with support from Beaver Trust and Mayor of London with funding from the Rewild London Fund.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has taken a personal interest in the project and, after he was told of the births, he said, “I am delighted that baby beavers have been born in West London. It was a privilege to be involved in the Autumn release of the beavers at Paradise Fields last year and it’s fantastic to see humans and wildlife thrive side by side with this family growing so quickly.
“We are facing climate and ecological emergencies worldwide, but we have the power to make a difference, and I am committed to ensuring that London is at the forefront of the rewilding revolution as we work to re-establish lost species and reconnect people and nature.
“Beavers are nature’s environmental engineers and it’s very encouraging to see what a positive change they’ve already had for local communities and nature as we build a fairer, greener city for all Londoners.”
The new babies were born this Spring and have emerged outside the lodge in recent weeks at the fully accessible, public site at Paradise Fields.
Beavers had been resident in the London area into the seventeenth century until hunting, habitat loss and persecution led to the loss of the species throughout the UK.
A family of five Eurasian beavers were released at Paradise Fields in October of last year following public consultation and a special licence being granted by Natural England. They were relocated from wild populations in Scotland by experts at Beaver Trust and Five Sisters Zoo. This reintroduction was the first of its kind in the UK, with the first beavers reintroduced into an urban setting on a site that is fully accessible and open to the public.
The family have now settled in, built lodges, dams, new waterways, providing an opportunity to experience the emergence of an urban beaver wetland first-hand. The site has already seen the creation of 6 dams, enabling the site to hold more water, releasing it slowly after high rainfall events, something which will be studied for flood risk mitigation. More complex wetlands and wet woodland have been created by the beavers, leading to an increased amount of wildlife, including amphibians, bats, dragonflies, other insects and birds.
Ealing Beaver Project wanted to demonstrate the ability of wildlife to live naturally, alongside humans, in an urban environment. It says the new kits born at Paradise Fields are proof that there is opportunity for nature to not only survive, but thrive in our towns and cities. Guided tours around the site, offering insight and explanation of all the beaver activity and environmental changes to the site can be booked via the Ealing Wildlife Group Eventbrite page.
While Paradise Fields provides the opportunity to experience what the beaver family have been getting up to and the dams they have built, the public are encouraged to remember that the beaver family are wild animals and to respect the space around their home.
Dr Sean McCormack, Ealing Beaver Project licence holder & Chair of Ealing Wildlife Group said, “I had every confidence our Beaver family would settle in at Paradise Fields, but to discover they’ve had new baby kits this Spring is really the icing on the Beaver cake! These are not a wilderness species, they are an important animal we once lived alongside up and down the country and welcoming them back, even to our towns and cities, is the right thing to do. We may need to learn to live alongside them again, and sometimes manage their behaviour, but the ecosystem services they provide have been clearly demonstrated here already at the Ealing Beaver Project. Improved water quality, reduced flooding, more insects and other wildlife on site, habitat improvements. And now at least two cute baby beavers to boot! We’re thrilled, and look forward to welcoming more visitors on our walking tours and beaver watching safaris. We also welcome donations on our brand new website to help the ongoing costs of this community and volunteer led project”.
Elliot Newton, Co-Founder of Citizen Zoo said, “From setting up the London Beaver Working Group in 2021, to the release of a family of five beavers to Paradise Fields last autumn, we have always been extremely positive about the prospect of Beavers thriving within our urban landscape in London. This latest milestone for the project, alongside the beavers’ improvement to the site’s water quality, biodiversity, and hydrology has demonstrated its success to date. All this has been happening alongside a truly humbling effort by local volunteers to help us monitor the beavers, the site itself and other wildlife, showcasing the power of a community-led project. We are so excited to see this family grow and the continued impact of the beavers in the months and years to come.”
Jon Staples, Park Ranger at Ealing Council said, “Beaver kits at Paradise Fields in Ealing are a brilliant indication that the beaver family group is settled and thriving, that they've an abundance of food and suitable habitat. Our first urban beaver population is having a wonderful impact on the site's ecology and community, with so much positive potential for the future.”
Eva Bishop, Head of Communications at Beaver Trust said, "Each new generation of kits is wonderful to see and a sign that the beaver family is settling well. Having witnessed the release of these beavers, admired their habitat modifications, and now hearing news of their young, it's an uplifting conservation success story. I hope it inspires those in the community to take a moment to slow down, sit and appreciate this fascinating species at such a publicly accessible and welcoming site."
Paradise Fields is a 10 hectare site comprising woodland, wetlands and meadows in North Greenford in the borough of Ealing, and is part of the wider 100 hectare Horsenden Hill green space. It lies to the south of the Grand Union Canal and has a tributary of the Costons Brook flowing through it, which joins the River Brent and later the Thames. The beaver enclosure incorporates most of the site, spanning 8 hectares in total, enough room to comfortably support 2-3 beaver families.
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