A pair of young beavers, born recently as part of the beaver reintroduction programme at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, have been named by children at two nearby primary schools.
The young, known as kits, have been named Lerryn and Willow following special assemblies at Mevagissey School and Gorran School run by experts from The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
More than 150 suggestions were submitted by children following the assemblies and the winning names were chosen by a panel of Heligan judges.
Lerryn, chosen by five-year-old Lerryn from Mevagissey School, means “waters” or “flood” in Cornish and the judges felt that the name reflected both Cornish heritage as well as evoking imagery of the beavers’ river habitat.
Willow was the suggestion of seven-year-old Ada from Gorran School. The judges chose this name because Heligan means “willow tree” in Cornish and there are many willows in the beaver enclosure. Beavers also enjoy eating willow.
Puns were a popular theme among the suggested names for the kits, with the likes of Chewbarka, Nora and Egor Beaver all highly commended. Justin Beaver was suggested by students at both schools. Woody and Chip were also popular choices while Ozzy, Twiglet and Loki were among the leftfield suggestions.
Jessica Robinson, learning engagement lead at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: “We are so proud of the children of Mevagissey and Gorran schools who have done Heligan and their communities proud by choosing these names that reflect both local heritage and the natural habitats of our beavers.
“We hope these beaver kits will be the first of many born at Heligan as our reintroduction continues to be a success. It’s been incredible to engage so many children in our community on the importance of beavers in our ecosystem and their benefits to biodiversity.”
Lerryn and Willow’s 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.
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. Heligan’s is one of the first reintroduction projects in England that has deliberately incorporated farmland.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan has 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.
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