WATCH the video: Baby beaver for family at Cropton Forest in North Yorkshire

Staff at Cropton Forest are celebrating after a new arrival at the site.
The beaver family at Cropton ForestThe beaver family at Cropton Forest
The beaver family at Cropton Forest

They have announced a new addition to the beaver family at Cropton, near Pickering, with the arrival of another healthy baby kit.

This brings the total number of youngsters on site to three, alongside the two adults initially introduced.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The two kits born in May last year have both progressed very well, pulling their weight with various work tasks, and are now helping their parents take care of the new youngster.

Beavers are very family-orientated and kits stay with their group for at least two years. An assessment will then be made as to whether they stay on site as a large extended family group or are considered for moving to another project.

Cath Bashforth, Ecologist at Forestry England said: “The adult beavers settled in straight away after their release last year, quickly making the site their home.

“I am really pleased that they have had another kit this year and that all the whole family look so fit and well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

WATCH them here“It is delightful to see the strong family bond on the footage from the trail cameras, with last year’s offspring helping with the new arrival.

“I look forward to watching the kit grow and learn from its siblings over the next few months. It will be fascinating to watch them work together as a family to further change the site with new dams and channels, reconnecting the river with its floodplain.’

Alan Eves, forest management director at Forestry England, said: “We introduced the adult pair to the 10-hectare enclosure in Cropton Forest in April 2019 as a five-year trial to measure their impact on flood management in association with the Slowing the Flow project.

“We have been working in partnership with many organisations and individuals to study how they affect the landscape and whether their actions can help reduce flooding. The objective is to monitor whether their activity has a positive impact on maintaining the artificial wooden dams in the area and boosting biodiversity.”

A message from the editor

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive.

We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you