Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shrewsbury Town Council confirmed the arrival of the beaver kit at the Old River Bed nature reserve, using footage captured by on-site camera traps. The kit is the offspring of parents Beryl and Bertie, who have been making the wetland site their home since their release back in February 2025.
First beaver born in Shropshire in 400 years
A nature reserve in Shropshire has welcomed its first baby beaver, following the release of a pair of Eurasian beavers at the site in Shrewsbury earlier this year.
(c) Shropshire Wildlife Trust
This is an exciting milestone for the Shropshire Beaver Project, marking a major success in the return of this keystone species to the county, after 400 years of extinction in Britain. Beavers have been introduced to the Old River Bed, owned by Shrewsbury Town Council, as part of a five-year trial to assess the impact of this species on an existing wetland site.
Since their return to the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the pair of ‘ecosystem engineers’ have been busy transforming the 8.5-hectare wetland habitat. They have already begun to restore the natural flow of water by creating small dams and rebuilding riverbanks.
These changes will improve the site’s ability to store water, which in turn improves water quality, reduces downstream flood risk, and prevents stored carbon from being released. The site is already showing indicators of a boost in biodiversity, such as an increase in insect activity and improved wetland vegetation. Amphibian activity has also been observed within the beaver habitat.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain during the 16th Century for their fur, meat, and scent glands, but todays exciting announcement sees a previously lost species beginning to thrive once again in Shropshire. With their ability to create and maintain resilient wetland habitat, beavers are crucial to the restoration of a healthy living landscape in Shropshire.
Tom Freeland, Head of Nature Reserves at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said:
“We’re delighted that Beryl and Bertie have been able to raise a kit in their first year at the Old River Bed. It’s testament to the hard work carried out by the partners in setting up the enclosure in ideal beaver habitat, and to the consideration of visitors and local residents who have quietly welcomed the beavers and made them feel at home. We look forward to monitoring what happens next as the whole family get to work on the trees and waterways of this amazing site.”
Jim Goldsmith, Countryside and Greenspace Manager at Shrewsbury Town Council, said:
“We are proud to welcome the first beaver kit born in Shropshire. There has been a lot of hard work, patience and partnership behind this project. Seeing Beryl and Bertie settle in so successfully and now raise a kit shows just how powerful nature can be when we create the right conditions.”
Alicia Leow-Dyke, Welsh Beaver Project Officer at North Wales Wildlife Trust, said:
“It is incredibly exciting to see the very first beaver kit born at the Old River Bed! Beryl and Bertie arrived in February, and the new addition is a testament to how well both beavers have settled into their new home. It has been a privilege working on this project and we look forward to seeing the kit grow and helping out with managing the habitat at the Old River Bed.”
The Shropshire Beaver Project has been made possible by experts and funders to whom Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shrewsbury Town Council are extremely grateful. Thanks go to the funding partners including Severn Trent Water, Veolia Environmental Trust and Potter Group as part of the Landfill Communities Fund, Beaver Bridges and John Ellerman Foundation; species experts from The Welsh Beaver Project and Beaver Trust; as well as the generosity of Shropshire Wildlife Trust members and supporters.
To ensure the beaver kit can continue to explore their new home undisturbed, members of the public using the boardwalk and woodland footpath adjoining the enclosure are urged to be quiet and considerate, making sure dogs are on-lead and kept under control.
England is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries and beavers offer a chance to reverse the dramatic decline in our wildlife by allowing nature to restore itself. Release projects, into both enclosures and the wild, are already underway in several locations across Scotland, England and Wales. They have proved to be hugely successful in managing wetlands more sensitively, enabling nature solutions to many environmental issues.
More information about the Bringing Back Beaver Project can be found here: www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/bringing-back-beavers
Editor's notes
Partners and funders:
Shrewsbury Town Council
Shrewsbury Town Council came into being on 01 April 2009 as a result of Local Government reorganisation. The Town Council's area includes the whole of Shrewsbury town centre and adjoining residential areas. With a population of over 70,000 it is one of the largest town councils in England. The Town Council is responsible for horticultural services, The Quarry, numerous small parks, sports pitches, recreation grounds, allotments, green spaces, the provision of the town's markets, community facilities, bus shelters, street lighting and public toilets. The Town Council is also proud of its reputation for making Shrewsbury a "town of flowers" and winner of the Britain in Bloom and Entente Florale European competitions.
www.shrewsburytowncouncil.gov.uk
Beaver Trust is a nature restoration charity restoring beavers to regenerate our landscapes. As Britain’s leading beaver specialists, Beaver Trust undertakes all aspects of the species’ practical reintroduction, including feasibility assessments, licence applications and animal welfare expertise to a hierarchy of management activities. They provide practical solutions to help people live alongside beavers and support legislation that rebuilds ecosystems and strengthens climate resilience.
Registered charity number 1185451.
The Veolia Environmental Trust has been supporting community and environmental projects through the Landfill Communities Fund for over 25 years. Since we were established in 1997, Veolia has supported us with contributions totalling over £100 million, enabling over 2,700 projects to successfully complete. These have included ones to repair woodland footpaths, improve community halls and the install skateparks and playgrounds. For more information, or to find out how to apply for funding, visit our website www.veoliatrust.org.
The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is a tax credit scheme enabling Landfill Operators (LOs) to contribute money to organisations enrolled with ENTRUST as Environmental Bodies (EBs). They use this funding for a wide range of community and environmental projects in the vicinity of landfill sites. LOs are able to claim a credit (currently 5.3%) against their landfill tax liability for 90% of the contributions they make. Since its inception in 1996, over £1.6 billion has been spent on almost 60,000 projects across the UK. For further information, please visit www.entrust.org.uk or see HMRC’s general guide to Landfill Tax.
Severn Trent is the UK’s second biggest water company. It serves 4.8m homes and business customers in England and Wales. Its region stretches from mid-Wales to Rutland and from north and mid-Wales south to the Bristol Channel and east to the Humber. The company delivers almost two billion litres of water every day through 50,000km of pipes. A further 93,000km of sewer pipes takes wastewater away to more than 1,000 sewage treatment works.
Beaver Bridges provide a turn-key bridge building service throughout the UK and Europe with an experienced team of fully qualified transporters, erectors, designers and engineers. We work with a wide range of clients from the biggest government agencies and multinational construction firms right through to private land owners, farmers, forestry companies and industry to provide bridges made from every material in every environment. www.beaverbridges.co.uk
John Ellerman Foundation is an independent and endowed grantmaking foundation that aims to advance the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world. One of the main ways they do this is by funding charities for work that has national significance in the arts, environment and social action (their funding categories). www.ellerman.org.uk
Potter Group is a third-generation family-run business, founded in 1948, and the largest private waste management company in Wales, operating successful recycling, equestrian, property and renewable energy divisions. We work in close partnership with several county councils throughout England and Wales and are proud to be an active member of the local community, investing in community projects, historic restorations and environmental initiatives which benefit the local area. We are committed to expand the recycling operations and renewable energy initiatives throughout Wales and into the West Midlands. www.potters.co.uk