Thursday 2nd July
Forestry England are happy to announce a new addition to the beaver family at Cropton Forest, 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. 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.
‘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 on the North
York Moors back in April 2019 as a five-year Forestry England trial to measure their
impact on flood management in association with the Slowing the Flow project. This is the
third kit to be born since the start of the project and we are delighted that the family
have settled in so well.
‘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.’
