Male Beaver Relocated to Cornwall Adapts to New Home

A male beaver, transported from Wales to Cornwall, has successfully “settled in” at its new habitat, joining the female beaver already residing there. The Lost Gardens of Heligan welcomed Byrti in October, acquiring him from Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust following the death of the previous male beaver at Heligan. Wildlife coordinator Toby Davies noted that the female beaver, Twiggy, had been solitary for approximately nine months, stating this was “OK” given that beavers are capable of living alone in the wild for periods. Mr. Davies reported that after three weeks, the newly introduced pair was coexisting “very well” and preparing “for the winter ahead” as a unit. He elaborated on his monitoring methods, stating: “I monitor the beavers with camera traps. We bait the camera traps with multiple things like carrots, apples, parsnips, sweet potatoes- all that sort of thing.“It is quite difficult to get footage of them together. I think when Byrti came in, Twiggy was a little unsure of him, understandably, because she has been on her own for a while.“Initially they lived separately and then after three weeks, I managed to get footage of them together and their activity. “Through the camera traps we keep an eye on body condition as well. If there were signs, they had been fighting, we might have had to rethink things but luckily there was not.” Mr. Davies observed significant damming activity and noted that the animals become “less active” during the winter months instead of hibernating. He clarified that the beavers at Heligan were not primarily for a breeding program but for their contributions to the environment and ecosystem. He stated: “Our main aims of having beavers were to try and help reduced flooding in Mevagissey which is sort of down our river catchment, he said.“If our beavers didn’t have kits, which are the young, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.“But obviously we would quite like them and it is quite a large enclosure as well so it would be nice to have a family of them down there if I can,” adding, “Fingers crossed.” The relocation represented a joint initiative involving The Lost Gardens of Heligan, The Welsh Beaver Project, Beaver Trust, and Natural England, an effort that underscored “the power of partnership in species recovery.” Eva Bishop of The Beavers Trust commented that the pair had been “matched well” due to their comparable ages and sizes, describing the situation as a “perfect opportunity.” She further remarked: “The pair’s bonding is really vital, and we have seen lots of mutual grooming and eating together and following each other around which is really lovely.”