Beavers return to Britain after 400 years and they are not only surviving but thriving

Beavers are back in Britain after more than 400 years and it is a dam good thing because these industrious rodents help to make the world a better place.

Using their chisel-like teeth, they chew down trees to build lodges for shelters as well as dams. This helps create wetlands for so many other creatures to set up home and is excellent for biodiversity.

By the 16th century, beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain for their fur. But they were reintroduced in May 2009 and are doing well. Twelve were shipped over from Norway and, after a six-month quarantine period, they arrived with a splash in three lochs in Knapdale Forest in Argyll.

A photo of a beaver swimming in a loch

Their numbers have now grown to 1,800 and the animals have spread across Scotland. Stephen Williams, of Argyll Beaver Centre, said: “It was the first reintroduction of beavers, but it was also the first reintroduction of mammals.

“They were released into the wild which is also important.” The £2million Scottish Beaver Trial ran for five years and took place in Knapdale because of its “pristine rainforest environment”. And the beavers – which were all named after the Norwegian scientists involved in the trial – seemed to love their rural oasis.

Some are still there, including elderly 19-year-old couple Bjornar and Millie. Beavers normally live for 10 to 12 years in the wild. The trial’s success has inspired similar projects in some parts of England. In 2015, the first wild beaver trial took place in Devon, on the River Otter – which is ironic, as otters can kill beavers.

And in 2022, they were officially classed as a native species in England, five years after they were given the same status in Scotland. They have also been reintroduced in enclosures in areas such as Essex, Derbyshire, Kent, Cornwall and even London, after Mayor Sadiq Khan set some free at a nature reserve in Ealing, West London, in October 2023.

An image of a beaver swimming in a lake

In the past, hats made from beavers were hugely sought after. Stephen said: “People like Nelson and Napoleon wore beaver felt hats. “There were also top hats, bowler hats… there was a long 250 to 300 years worth of industry making beaver felt hats. They were a real status symbol.

“If you had a beaver felt hat, it was like having a Gucci handbag and that, in the end, is why beavers became extinct.” But these hard-working animals were always far more beneficial to human life than they were to the fashion industry.

Stephen says beavers are very good for biodiversity and, potentially, mitigate climate change by helping to manage flooding. He said: “They are reintroducing beavers in America where they have wildfires because sometimes, having a sort of lush wetland is the only way to stop them.

“The fire then goes around the beaver habitat, rather than through it. They are creating a habitat for lots of different creatures. Lack of biodiversity is one of the great crises in the world.” The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, ranked about 190th out of 200 nations for its biodiversity.

A photo of a beaver dam

However, there have been some reports of beavers causing havoc in Scotland. Farmers were angered by flood damage to 650ft of road and the Scottish Beaver Trial had to pay out £38,000 as a result.

But, as Stephen explains, beavers are farmers too: “Beavers live in lodges made of trees and they build dams so if beavers killed trees, they would be extinct. “Beavers manage and farm trees. They are essentially rotational farmers.” And now beavers are back, they are paving the way for other struggling animal species to be ­reintroduced.

Stephen said: “There is a sense of hope you get from the beavers in regards to climate change. You can be optimistic about the future – because if we can ­introduce beavers, perhaps we can make the world a better place.”