Fresh evidence of beavers discovered at four sites on East Devon river

Despite recent news headlines that a local beaver population had 'disappeared' from their East Devon home, a local wildlife charity is now claiming that it has evidence that they are very much alive.

In November the BBC reported the concerns of some local people that they had not had sightings of beavers on the River Otter for some weeks. This 'disappearance' was then reported by national newspapers. However, Devon Wildlife Trust has now come forward with evidence which shows that the beavers are still there, although they may have relocated their homes, known as lodges, along the river.

Devon Wildlife Trust is leading the River Otter Beaver Trial - a five year study of what is believed to be the first population of breeding beavers living wild in the English countryside for several centuries. The charity has said that it is currently monitoring four 'active areas' along the river where it has seen fresh evidence of the beavers' presence.

Mark Elliott is the Trial's manager and said:

"We knew the beavers had not 'disappeared' but it's good to be able to report recent evidence showing that they are still active on the river. Beavers are mobile animals and it's quite common for them to shift their lodges and feeding grounds. There's lots of room for beavers on this river so it's unsurprising that they have relocated from the places that we saw them last spring and summer."

The beavers have proved popular with local people and have also attracted many wildlife-lovers to East Devon after the animals gained national coverage when their story was featured on BBC's Springwatch programme. Devon Wildlife Trust's own series of beaver walks along the river were fully subscribed in 2015 and now the charity says it plans to run more next year to meet demand. However, winter is not the time to go beaver watching and any visitors are likely to leave disappointed. 

Mark Elliott explained:

"Beavers are largely nocturnal animals so they are difficult to see during winter when the nights are long. However, they will still be busy at this time building their lodges, preparing for mating in January and the birth of their kits in May. At this time we're keeping the locations of the new beaver sites a secret to ensure that disturbance to the animals and local landowners is kept to a minimum."

In February 2015 it was established that nine beavers were living on the River Otter. In May it is known that a breeding female gave birth to three kits taking the total to 12. This family were seen by many people throughout summer close to their lodge on a stretch of river near Ottery St Mary.

Devon Wildlife Trust is keen to record sightings of beavers to help it with its ongoing work monitoring the impact of the animals on local communities, local landowners and wildlife. Mark Elliott said: "

As we move into the New Year and the daylight hours lengthen beavers will be active at dusk and dawn. If people do see them then it's important they let us know so that we can get a clearer picture of the beavers' numbers and locations."

People with information can let the charity know if they see a beaver via email on beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org and mailto:beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org with details of the date, time, exact location and whether the beaver has a coloured ear tag.

The River Otter Beaver Trial receives no government funding. Devon Wildlife Trust is urging people to offer their support via its website www.devonwildlifetrust.org/devons-wild-beavers-appeal

Recent beaver activity has been found at four places along the River Otter in East Devon. Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

Baby boost for Devon beavers

New film footage proves that England's only wild beaver population is growing. The footage, taken by local film-maker Tom Buckley, shows baby beavers - known as kits - taking their first swimming lessons and being helped through the water by their mother at an undisclosed location on East Devon's River Otter. The births signal the latest chapter in a story which has attracted great support from the local community. Devon Wildlife Trust is leading the River Otter Beaver Trial in partnership with landowner Clinton Devon Estates, the University of Exeter and the Derek Gow Partnership. 

Devon Wildlife Trust's Mark Elliott said: "We are thrilled that the beavers have bred. The baby kits appear fit and healthy and the adults seem as if they are taking their parenting responsibilities very seriously. It tells us that the beavers are very much at home in this corner of Devon. "The slowly expanding population of these wild animals will help us to gain valuable insights into beavers and their environment - both in terms of animal behaviour and any benefits and effects on the surrounding river system." Mark also makes a plea to people who might want to catch a glimpse of the new additions to a local beaver population: "The beavers have proved enormously popular with local people and we understand that many will now want to see the kits for themselves. But like all new parents, the beavers will need a bit space and peace at this time. So we ask that visitors take care not to disturb them. This means remaining on public footpaths, keeping a respectful distance from them, and keeping dogs under close control especially when near the river." 

A population of beavers was first confirmed on the River Otter in February 2014. This was the first time that breeding beavers were known to be living in the English countryside for as much as 400 years. In summer 2014 Defra expressed its intention to remove the animals citing their potential disease risk and their unplanned introduction as reasons. It was at this stage that Devon Wildlife Trust built a partnership of supportive local landowners, academic institutions and beaver veterinary and management experts to offer a different solution, to turn the situation into England's first wild beaver monitoring project. In January 2015, Devon Wildlife Trust received a licence from Natural England allowing the beavers to stay. The licence also signalled the setting-up of the River Otter Beaver Trial - a project which will measure the benefits and impacts of the animals on local landscapes, wildlife, communities and businesses, especially farming.
Natural England's licence stipulated that the beavers had to be health screened. This meant capturing all the adults which were known to be living on the river. The captures were carried out in February this year - the tests found them clear of disease.

Mark Elliott of Devon Wildlife Trust looks ahead to the beavers' prospects: "Beavers give birth to an average of three kits. If both mothers have given birth that could mean that there are now up to 15 beavers on the River Otter. Beavers are relatively slow breeders and it's possible that not all the kits will make it to adulthood. This means the expansion of their numbers during the coming years will be steady rather than rapid. The River Otter certainly has room for a slowly growing population. The kits present us with a unique opportunity to study the development of a beaver population in the English countryside."
 Dr Sam Bridgewater, Nature Conservation Manager for Clinton Devon Estates, commented on the arrival of baby beavers: "The birth of the kits is very exciting as it indicates that beavers can thrive in the lower River Otter. We still have much to learn about the impacts of an expanding beaver population on the Devon landscape. Although we know that beavers can improve the ecological health of rivers, we also know that their damming - particularly in upper catchment areas - and tree-felling behaviour can cause conflict. One of the key objectives of the partnership over the five year trial is to gather evidence to clarify the positive and negative impacts of this species and the management techniques that will likely be required in the future to minimise any detrimental impacts of an increasing population."
Tom Buckley captured the fabulous footage of the beaver and kits. He said: "When I saw these new born baby beavers (kits) I was totally overwhelmed and thought it must be a miracle. My first sighting of this year's new born kits was when I saw their mother swimming with one of them in her mouth to an area nearby where their father was waiting to greet them. One of the kits, however, seemed extremely unhappy to be out in the big wide world and as soon as its mother let it go it rushed back to its burrow. Not surprising really - the world can be a very scary place. This was possibly their first experience of what lies outside of their burrow." The Wildlife Trusts are at the forefront of bringing back beavers to the UK. Read more at http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/beavers

Film of Devon's wild beaver kits taken by Tom Buckley who spent many weeks waiting patiently to capture this footage. These wild kits are a boost to the River Otter Beaver Trial which began in Spring of 2015 led by Devon Wildlife Trust in partnership with landowner Clinton Devon Estates, the University of Exeter and the Derek Gow Partnership.

All footage Copyright Tom Buckley (All Rights Reserved)