Hopes high for beavers to breed
A female beaver has joined the existing male in a large enclosure in Plymouth, as Maxine Denton reports
ANOTHER beaver has been released in Plymouth as part of a scheme to re-create natural habitats lost after hundreds of trees were chopped down.
The female Eurasian beaver arrived at Forder Valley nature reserve on Sunday and was released into a specially designed re-wilding enclosure near Poole Farm.
It is part of the Green Minds Project, a Plymouth City Council initiative which aims to create spaces for wildlife in different pockets around the city and encourage more people to connect with nature.
Last year, many people raised concerns about the loss of habitat along the route for the Forder Valley Link Road, with complaints deer and other wildlife would “have nowhere to go”. As a result, the project plans to release a family of Scottish beavers into Forder Valley.
A male beaver was introduced last November and, like the first release, the new arrival weighs around 20kg and was also caught in the wild in the Tay catchment in Scotland.
The beavers were rescued from a culling threat by farmers, where conflicts have arisen in the Tay catchment.
A spokesperson for the Green Minds Project said: “Both beavers have been rescued from this fate and will now live a very happy life in our six-hectare re-wilding enclosure, which covers 600 metres of river in a wooded valley.”
It is hoped that the beavers will reduce flooding further downstream and create habitats for wildlife in Bircham Valley.
The spokesperson said: “As well as being charismatic, beavers are fascinating creatures as they engineer their surroundings by felling trees, damming sections of the river and creating a network of canals.
“Beavers also lead to improved water quality and quantity, and store carbon in a really efficient way to help combat the climate emergency.”
The Green Minds Project have been working with partners including leading beaver experts at Devon Wildlife Trust, re-wilding specialist Derek Gow and Roisin Campbell-Palmer, the UK’s top beaver ecologist, to ensure the positive welfare of the beavers during their re-introduction.
Footage taken during the release shows the female beaver meeting with her companion. Having left her cage, she swam around the pond for several minutes before the male emerged
Both beavers will now live a very happy life in our six-hectare re-wilding enclosure GREEN MINDS PROJECT
from his lodge. They swam together before having what was described as a ‘getting to know you tussle’ in the water. It is also hoped that the pair will eventually breed.
The spokesperson for the Green Minds Project said: “Although around 20 per cent of beavers are solitary, most are sociable and prefer to live in family groups where they build dams, ponds and live in lodges together.
“We’ll be keeping a very close eye on proceedings.”
Although Poole Farm is still closed to the public due to lockdown restrictions, people will be able to go and see the beavers once they reopen.