Hamish the beaver leaves conservation sanctuary in project first

A beaver from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary has moved to a new home, as the charity marks its first successful release from the Secret Creek conservation project.

Hamish came to the sanctuary back in January just a couple of months old, after he had been orphaned in the wild and found temporary refuge in the sanctuary's woodlands.

He arrived with two other young beavers, Scruff and Maple, as part of a collaborative conservation project with the Beaver Trust.

The project aims to build up the numbers of this native species through specialised pre-release captive care of youngsters.

Now, after spending four months growing and learning to be a wild beaver in the sanctuary's special nursery enclosure, Hamish has been moved to a new, larger site.

Hamish will be paired with a new female to help improve the wild beaver population in the country.

• Hamish is now a much healthier, happier beaver

Tamara Cooper, curator of the sanctuary, said it is just the beginning: "Watching Hamish move to his new home is a marker of how successful our work here at the Sanctuary has been - and we've only just got started.

"He's grown into a healthy beaver, who has had as little human interaction as possible to ensure he builds those crucial instincts to live in a wild environment.

"Now, our partnership with the Beaver Trust has given us the opportunity to help him move to a new home as part of the West Dorset Wilding Initiative, one of the many projects playing a big part in restoring wild beaver populations across Britain."

Following Hamish's journey to his new home, Dr Campbell-Palmer from the Beaver Trust said: "Beavers are a vital part of our wetland conservation and can bring multiple benefits to nature and human dominated landscapes.

"Watching Hamish settling into his new home is very special and we look forward to seeing how he gets on."