Watch: Beaver released in Plymouth as part of environment project
It is believed to be the first urban release of the animals in the UK
A beaver has been released into the Forder Valley in Plymouth for the first time in over 400 years.
The 20kg male Eurasian beaver was caught in late September in the wild from the Tay Catchment in Scotland. He was released on Tuesday (17 November) into a specially designed re-wilding enclosure near Poole Farm, in the first urban release of beavers in the UK.
The beaver’s behaviour and actions will now be monitored in the hope that its actions will reduce flooding further downstream and create habitats for wildlife in the Bircham Valley.
It’s all part of the Green Minds project, a city council initiative which will re-wild urban parks, gardens and verges and introduce a new system of working with partners. Crucially, it will encourage more people from all walks to life to enjoy the health benefits that our green spaces provide.
The local authority said:
"As well as being charismatic, beavers are fascinating creatures as they engineer their surroundings by felling trees, damming sections of river and creating a network of canals.
"They also create wetland habitats which are great for birds, fish and invertebrates and they also ‘slow the flow’ of water during and after rainfall that can help reduce flooding downstream.
"We’re going to be monitoring two very similar rivers – Bircham and Seaton - to see how the beavers are able to make positive impacts. We can compare and contrast with the Seaton stream which has similar characteristics.
"Beavers also lead to improved water quality and quantity and store carbon in a really efficient way to help combat the climate emergency."