A rare new video showing two beaver kits with their mum has been captured for the first time at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire.
The beavers, who were added to the European Protected Species List in 2022, can be seen building dams and lodges across the Warminster estate which now has three breeding territories.
Beavers first arrived at Longleat three years ago, but this is the first time the mother and children have been captured on video.
“Longleat is brimming with native wildlife, and beavers are one of the crown jewels. We assumed they have been breeding here, and we’ve seen lots of feeding activity,” said Dr Tom Lewis, Conservation and Research Manager at Longleat.
“At first, our cameras picked up squirrels, herons, Canadian geese and even a fawn; but we then captured beavers repairing one of the lodges.
“We were really excited when we spotted a lactating female as we knew that meant there were kits and when we checked the cameras again and found her with kits.
"It was quite incredible and a very rare sight."
Beavers are ecosystem engineers, and in one small stream in the Longleat estate, several ponds including one which is 20m wide have appeared due to the building of damns.
“Beavers build dams to raise the water level to make themselves feel safe," explained Dr Lewis.
"The housing the beavers build is equally complex.
“There are multiple chambers in the big lodge, and we assumed that would be where the kits would be born but in fact it was in the satellite lodge and the adult beavers have been out in the daytime to bring food to mum and kits.
Stills from the footage show the mum and her two kits (Image: Longleat Safari Park)
“We feel really fortunate to be able to share with everyone the intimate details of what we have found using the cameras.
“I feel really privileged to be able to see this, it’s like stepping back in time to an ancient eco-system."
Despite sharing the footage, Longleat will not give the precise locations of these breeding territories, as it is illegal to interfere with the lodges and dams created by beavers.
The safari park is determined to protect its beavers as much as possible.
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