A pair of beavers living on The Lost Gardens of Heligan estate have successfully bred and are now raising two young, known as kits.
The parents, Twiggy and Byrti, were introduced to a purpose-built enclosure on the Heligan estate in 2023 and 2024 respectively, as part of a national programme of reintroductions which aim to reverse more than 400 years of beavers being extinct in the UK.
Toby Davies, wildlife coordinator at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: “The fact that our beavers have bred has shown how they are thriving here at Heligan. The signs were looking good for a number of months and, in the future, we look forward to our kits being introduced elsewhere in the country as part of the reintroduction programme.”
Laura Chesterfield, managing director of The Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: “This is an amazing moment for the Heligan beaver reintroduction and we’re incredibly proud to be playing a key part in hopefully re-establishing this important species in the UK.
“Enhancing the biodiversity of the Heligan estate and the environment beyond is fundamental to our mission and the success of the beaver reintroduction is testament to the fine work being done by our teams.”
Beavers are an important keystone species and their reintroduction to Heligan is being monitored to gauge their impact on local biodiversity, flood mitigation and grazing livestock.
In October 2022, legislation was introduced to protect free-living beavers in England, which could pave the way for the reintroduction of beavers into the wild in the future. Heligan is one of the first reintroduction projects in England that has deliberately incorporated farmland. Information gathered at Heligan could help inform decisions as to whether unlicenced, free release of beavers becomes legal in the future.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan have worked with The Welsh Beaver Project, Beaver Trust and Natural England on their reintroduction programme.
As well as beavers, The Lost Gardens of Heligan has introduced water voles and glow-worms to the estate and is working on a red squirrel re-introduction in the future.
The kits have been photographed for The Lost Gardens of Heligan by specialist wildlife photographer Andy Wilson, who is also the gardens’ head of restoration. Andy’s exhibition of wildlife photography taken at Heligan, called 200 Acres, is on display on the gardens’ west lawn until September 30.
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