A baby beaver has made history as the first to be born in Norfolk in more than 600 years.
Two pairs of beavers were successfully reintroduced at Wild Ken Hill, near Heacham on the north Norfolk coast, last year.
A baby beaver, known as a kit, has since been captured on camera paddling through water at night.
While only one kit has been spotted, beavers on average produce three offspring so there may be more.
More cameras have been deployed inside the 55-acre beaver enclosure at the nature restoration project to establish how many kits have been born.
Dominic Buscall, project manager at Wild Ken Hill, said: “This is another exciting step on the journey to restore beavers to East Anglia.
“Beavers bring huge benefits to our natural environment.
“With the right balance of protection and management, we could harness them across England to assist nature recovery and prevent flooding – the project here at Wild Ken Hill is seeking to demonstrate that.”
Eurasian beavers were once native to Norfolk and are known as ecosystem engineers due to their presence having such a positive impact on the local environment and biodiversity.
Once common in these lands, European beavers were hunted to extinction for their fur, glands and meat in the 16th century.
The nearby villages of Babingley and Flitcham in Norfolk have beavers on their village signs at is was said that, during a historic storm out in the Wash, beavers guided Saint Felix to safety in west Norfolk.
Lloyd Park, conservation leader and ecologist at Wild Ken Hill, said: “This beaver kit represents an historic moment towards the conservation and restoration of the species within lowland England.
“Beavers are a vital link in restoring and regenerating our natural places, and in their short time here at Wild Ken Hill they have already made a significant impact on the landscape within their enclosure.
“Through their natural processes we have seen increased water levels and changes to the woodland structure that provide opportunities for a host of other wildlife.”
Camera footage shows a kit swimming in the territory of a pair of beavers named Orange and Flow, who first met in autumn last year and spent the winter and spring bonding and building dams.
In May this year, a lodge was also discovered in the beaver enclosure.
Beavers build lodges as protection from predators and will raise their kits inside them in the first few months.
A post on Wild Ken Hill’s website said: “Incredibly exciting news – trail cameras inside the beaver enclosure at Wild Ken Hill have spotted a beaver kit – the first in Norfolk for over 600 years.”
Further camera traps have not spotted any more kits, but the beaver enclosure is large and it is possible that more will be discovered in coming months.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel