A family of beavers wasted no time in making their mark on a Suffolk estate shortly after their arrival from Scotland.

This group, consisting of two adults and three young kits, are the first reintroduction of beavers to Suffolk in 400 years, following their extinction due to hunting.

Since their arrival in February at Little Haugh Hall near Bury St Edmunds, the beavers have been industriously felling trees and constructing dams.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust anticipates that their remarkable efforts will catalyse a surge in biodiversity across the area.

Already, the once lush saplings along the lake’s banks have been transformed into mere stumps, bearing witness to the beavers’ tireless gnawing. The timber from these trees has been repurposed by the beavers to construct lodges, traditional shelters built from sticks, mud, and rocks.

The estate views the presence of these beavers as integral to its plans to “create a healthy and complex area of biodiversity and ecosystem integrity”.

Estate owner Tatjana Greil-Castro hopes that the dams built by the beavers will contribute to improved water quality on the property.

Supported by Suffolk Wildlife Trust, the establishment of the beavers’ licensed enclosure underscores the commitment to fostering a more dynamic environment around the man-made lake.

According to Sam Hanks, the trust’s wilder landscapes officer, the beavers’ activities will create a diverse mosaic of pools and dams with varying water levels, providing diverse habitats for invertebrates, fish, and birds, in an “explosion of biodiversity”.

 

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The decline in our wildlife is shocking and frightening. Without much more support, many of the animals we know and love will continue in their decline towards extinction.

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