First baby beaver born on Northumberland estate in more than 400 years

Footage gathered from the estate shows the new kit with its mother on the Wallington Estate. Credit: National Trust

A baby beaver has been born on a Northumberland estate for the first time in four centuries.

The National Trust has announced that the mammal, which is believed to have arrived in late May, was born on the Wallington Estate - just a year after a family of Eurasian beavers were released there.

A heavily pregnant female beaver was spotted late in May, but recent footage from the site captured the new 'kit' taking a dip in the water and heading back into the family lodge with its mother.

After having to adjust to their new home and enduring one of the wettest winters on record, the birth has been described as a “relief”.

Helen McDonald, the National Trust’s lead ranger on the estate, said: “We are thrilled that after an absence of around 400 years we now have beavers back and breeding at Wallington

"They have put a lot of effort into building and maintaining their lodges and getting their family settled, showing great perseverance and resilience during their relocation and then during the floods we’ve had over the last year.

“We’ll continue to monitor the family to check on their health and condition and follow the new kit’s progress.”

The beavers have created a complex system of dams following their reintroduction to the estate. Credit: PA

A team of 25 volunteers has worked alongside the National Trust's ranger team on the project and following the reintroduction of the beavers, they have since helped monitor the beavers and maintain their new habitat.

Once a native animal to Britain's shores, beavers were hunted to extinction, but have been reintroduced to National Trust land since 2019.

Since settling at Wallington, the beavers have built a system of dams, canals and burrows on the estate over the last 12 months.

Paul Hewitt Countryside Manager for the National Trust at Wallington, said: “Since welcoming the family of beavers to Wallington the resulting impact on the water environment has been nothing short of astonishing.

“As a keystone species we have watched with keen interest as beavers do what beavers do, expertly altering their river environment to the massive benefit of other species.

“As a stark reminder of our changing climate, the release of the beavers here, coincided with the wettest 18 months ever recorded in England.

“Despite many winter storms with near record river levels recorded, the beavers have continued to thrive.”

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