Beaver rewilding and releases in the UK 2025.

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Pertinax

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
So here's the start of a new thread on the situation with Beavers in the UK. Its a rather complicated one, a mixture of illegal (beaver bombing) and legal releases and more of the legal ones will be planned for the future I am sure. Various estimates at the number of free-living beavers in the UK vary from around 600 up to 1000 or even 3000 +. Necessarily vague as it is hard to census them accurately.

From this week's recent BBC news article I've gleaned two particularly interesting facts; 1. According to Defra there are (supposedly) 52 Beaver 'rewilding' enclosures in England at present, quite a lot more than I thought. 2. There are about 50 'expressions of interest' in making legal releases currently under consideration by Natural England . Presumably most(?) of these are from the owners/organisers of the above-mentioned 52 Beaver enclosures.

In February this year it became legal to introduce Beavers into the wild in the UK, but only under license. The first legal releases (2 pairs) took place at Littlesea ,Dorset, earlier this year and the window for approved releases then closed. No more will be made now at least until the Autumn.

Please add your comments about the situation below.
 
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There are quite a few established wild beaver populations in the UK now. Longleat features one on their site and there are some videos worth watching.

General highlight of the beavers there as a good example of where they are established and benefiting an area

https://www.longleat.co.uk/news/beavers-at-work

Article on the first observed kits

Longleat beaver kits spotted on estate for first time

Longleat video on the beaver population there establishing in 2021 (first sightings 2020)

https://www.longleat.co.uk/news/bea...-in-uk-waters-for-first-time-in-100,000-years

Although I completely support legal releases, illegal ones are unwise in my view. Firstly they cause disturbance and fuel the fire of anti release and anti nature lobbyists. Secondly they can damage land and waterways if not released properly, which is not good for the land or the people farming and maintaining it for all of us.

Example of the illegal wild release issue here

Beaver activists claim they are 'doing God's work'

The problem with these illegal releases (similar to the silly people releasing lynx and boar illegally recently in Scotland) is they dominate the discussion and allow people who are anti release to jump on an uninformed 'all releases are bad' bandwagon.

There are legitimate concerns from farmers etc as highlighted in this NFU article though the headline itself refers to the lack of management of the 'wild' beaver population not covered by legitimate wild releases vs all releases

NFU calls for long-term management plan following wild beaver release

Further work and legal enforcement is needed to ensure beavers are introduced safely but there are highlighted benefits to a well managed population. As we continue to threaten the countryside with anti nature planning regulation and over building we need more not less ways to manage flooding and waterway issues, not less. Beavers are part of the solution.

It's been interesting in a few recent threads watching a minority of people here defending removing restrictions on planning regulation for all (not just brownfield) spaces. I prefer to see a balance myself and have zoos act in a critical role in education and preservation, not be the only place you can see a bird. But each to their own. Well managed wild releases should be about helping the countryside however, it isn't good enough to just have animals in captivity in my view.

It's good to see DEFRA working with farmers on next steps in terms of beaver releases (which the NFU have welcomed).

DEFRA rules on beaver releases here

Wild release and management of beavers in England.

More needs to be done on stopping illegal releases of beavers or indeed any animal. It's ultimately cruel if the animals are killed or injured and in no objective way is it 'God's work' as some claim. Illegal release issues should not however divert efforts from legitimate programmes nor be a reason not to have them.
 
Zorro said:
Any idea how many beavers might be on the rewilding Knepp estate?, they have a very large area there!
Click to expand...

Beavers at Knepp. First controlled 'semi enclosure release' which was not successful (described as such due to the size not because they can wander off)

Beavers - Knepp

Second successful attempt with beavers now in the estate since 2022 and establishement of the wetland. These, like the first release, are in managed enclosures.

Beavers at Knepp - Knepp

BBC article on Beaver kits

Beavers born in Sussex for first time in 500 years

Video on the changes made by the beavers and the findings of the study of them

 
With regard to other places where Beavers are already known to be living wild in England I know of the following;

River Otter Catchment. East Devon. Estimated hundred+ ?
River Stour. Kent. estimated several hundred!
Rivers Avon, Frome and Brue.Somerset. 2022 Estimate 50.
Littlesea Dorset. 7 (two illegal + kit + 4 legal release.)

There are probably others too but I will need to check further. Please add them if you know others.

I imagine Knepp may have expressed intention of interest for a legal release.
 
I know the large Mapperton in Dorset has a rewilding project and a Beaver enclosure from which the Beavers(one pair) have escaped twice due to flooding damaging the enclosure. Recaptured the first time but not the second(afaik). Perhaps they have now applied for a retrospective permission to make this accidental release legal?
 
Pertinax said:
I know the large Mapperton in Dorset has a rewilding project and a Beaver enclosure from which the Beavers(one pair) have escaped twice due to flooding damaging the enclosure. Recaptured the first time but not the second(afaik). Perhaps they have now applied for a retrospective permission to make this accidental release legal?
Click to expand...

According to DEFRA the established populations will be managed whether legally released or not, so there probably isn't a need for them to apply for retrospective legal status though they would need to if they want to expand

Wild release and management of beavers in England

Managing existing wild beaver populations
Click to expand...
Beavers are already present and breeding in the wild in several catchments in England. One population, on the River Otter in Devon, has already been allowed to remain and expand naturally following the licensed River Otter Beaver Trial.

We want to support the ongoing effective management of all existing populations, not just the River Otter. The public consultation noted that there are records of wild-living beavers confirmed to be breeding on sections of the following river catchments (in addition to the River Otter):

  • River Tamar in Devon and Cornwall
  • River Stour in East Kent
  • River Avon and River Brue in Somerset and Wiltshire
  • Little Dart in North Devon
  • River Wye in Herefordshire
We recognise that further unlawful releases and escapes have occurred since the public consultation. Growing populations have also spread into new catchments.

Defra will allow all existing beaver populations to remain and expand naturally, and will ensure that appropriate management measures are put in place. Existing wild populations will be proactively managed through their local beaver management group (BMG).
Click to expand...

And there is some guidance on what to do with beavers without licence, including measures to remove lodges if they are less than 2 weeks old and using anti gnaw treatment on trees, so they can be moved into more suitable areas. Other activities to control them need a licence.

Beavers: managing beaver activities in England
 
There's a few more wild populations on there I either didn't know or forgot, namely;

River Wye. Herefordshire
Little Dart N.Devon.
Tamar. Devon/Cornwall border.

I think all these populations are only in the league of a few pairs each- so far, as is mention elsewhere of the Rivers Exe and Teign also in Devon.
 
Recent news;

The Littlesea beavers in Dorset which were released earlier this year are the only officially-designated release so far in the UK since the legislation was passed. But not all has been plain sailing. One female moved/dispersed to the town of Swanage and was discovered living in a small stream near a public toilet. Deemed an unsuitable location she was recaptured and returned to Littlesea. To get there she must have entered the sea and swum around the promontory of the Purbeck hills called Old Harry Rocks, to enter Swanage Bay.

Now a second Beaver, this time a male, has been found there, unfortunately dead, probably from Saltwater poisoning. Its not clear if he is the male from the same 'pair' as the errant female, or the second one. Also I don't know if, or how, bonded as pairs these animals were before they were released, which might have a bearing on these attempts at dispersal from their release lake.

On the plus side, the original, illegally -released, pair reared a single kit in 2024, and two more this year.This now gives a total of 8 beavers in this area and hopefully one of the grown kits may pair with the (now) single female.

A number of the other farmers/landowners etc who have expressed interest in making legal releases on their land are saying that the resulting paperwork is baffling in both its depth and content and they are finding it impossible to answer in full. No further licences have yet been approved and this could slow up any future legal releases even further.
 
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Some rather interesting news came through via an email today - a wild beaver has been found on the River Wensum in Norfolk, specifically on part of the land of Pensthorpe. It is the first wild beaver recorded in Norfolk for several centuries. The exact area that the beaver is living in is being kept secret, but it is not in an area where the public can access.

A webpage has been put up with further information about the new arrival.
 
I'm still waiting for news of any more (licensed) releases into the wild now that the stated season is here (from October) but have seen nothing anywhere on this, apart from the previously mentioned Studland release back in the Spring.
 
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