..all good, until the foreign folk start trapping and eating them.. and dont tell me it dont happen, i know its happening.. also, where are all the swans going??
People need to realise that not only does the beaver dams reduce flooding it also evens out the flow in times of drought, by storing the water it has time to soak in rather than going straight out to sea, and with todays weather becoming more unpredictable this is a good thing.
This is 100% true - pretty sure we’re set to have record temperatures again following last years sustained droughts - places with beavers I know for a fact stayed wet!!
@@LeaveCurious How does the fact that water levels are permanently raised , control flooding? When flood water reaches an already full area it surely just overtops quickly? Choking drains on arable land is definitely not a gain either.
@@auldfouter8661 So beaver dams hold back water, but not entireley, so when there is high rain fall not only will more of it gather and spread on site but it will trickle through much more slowly than it would of done without it - sure if it was reeeeally heavy then it could break the dams and come through, but so far the evidence shows they're good at what they do.
@@auldfouter8661 Just an educated guess, but I assume that the ground is more capable of absorbing water if there is allready some moisture present. I could imagine that after a drought the ground needs time before a lot of water can be absorbed as it might be kind of sealed? Dam might prevent this as more water is present in the system?
I've watched numerous RUclips videos of what beavers do in the USA and Canada. They regularly cause flooding of roads necessitating the removal of their dams.
Our suburban home backs on a river in Delaware, USA. Beavers arrived about ten years ago. The land across from us is part of a city park and the beavers settled in what was left of a marsh. I was vey worried they’d be killed, which happens too often, but they survived and have made a huge difference in recovering the marsh ecosystem. We see the adults swimming in the river from time to time and the remains of trees they’ve harvested. Harvesting the trees has improved the plant diversity on the river banks which were overcrowded with young trees. It’s a delight. I keep hoping for otters but they became extinct long ago in this area, though they do live in other parts of the state and other parts of the river. So still keeping fingers crossed.
I used to love coming here as a teen. It’s been an absolute state for the last few years since Ealing wildlife project got involved. If you’re ever around in warmer months. Visit the horsendon loaf :)
I once saw a pair of beaver living in a pond sat right between apartment complexes/connected homes. Just a little bit of trees and plants and then the paved path and the pond, but they were apparently doing very well! I saw sign and then after the sun went down I heard their tails slapping and saw their disturbance of the water in the dim! So cool. (This was in Maryland, btw!)
Yeah doesn't sound like too much space, but goes to show what a pair of beavers can do. There must of been a river or running water nearby for them to have access?
It's amazing that these beavers will be saving the council so much money by doing the flood prevention engineering work for free! I love watching these rewilding videos, but this one in such an urban area was even more interestinng. So great that the locals are on board with it, and even their worries are for the safely of the beavers.
Yeah urban rewilding is always really interesting - its important to remember rewilding isn't just for large open expanses, it must be something we can do in our cities too.
I’m sure there’s plenty of suitable places in Scotland too and across the rest of the UK. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more and more translocated beavers!
Scotland is good for beavers, but there are some landowners and farmers complaining about the beaver introductions in their areas. They took to shooting the beavers almost as soon as the beavers had arrived..
There is a strong introduction project but it faced a lot of opposition with landowners who are frightful of losing productive land in the bank of rivers due to the beavers, this lead to the horrible and useless agreement that a landowner or town population can demand a beaver be translocated if they feel like it's causing any damage, of course this ignores that most landowners don't know the benefits of having beaver and will therefore be against them from the start
@@Solstice261 Have you any idea of the cost of installing a field drainage system , which arable land can't function without ? The beavers cause the drains to silt up by raising water levels above the drain outfalls.
@@auldfouter8661 No one is saying that they aren't a bother or expensive, but if it were always what is cheaper then we should kill all deer, flies,bees etc. And before you know it you've driven your ecosystem to collapse, haven't you thought it's odd that agriculture needs subsidies, since it does. Because it does and farmers need them, then farmers must also bend to offer a bit of space for biodiversity, even if it isn't beneficial in the short term, it helps a lot on the long term, specially if you start working with it in mind instead of actively against it. If you still think getting rid of anything that gets in the way of short term profit is the answer, then I am sorry for you as your system inevitably ends up with the collapse of the sector you are trying to defend
Such an interesting video! Thank you, i really enjoy your content as I am passionate about ecology myself. Me and my friend are currently at high school so we have picked our GCSE s going towards the path of ecology. Protecting and conserving nature is so important and your channle inspires me to do so.
That’s awesome! I wish you the best with your studies and keep finding ways to enjoy and of course learn, I encourage you to look into Ecology Training and see what they can offer you!
Is the harm of invasive species like grey squirrels and signal crayfish taught on your course ? Grey squirrels kill more native birds than domestic cats.
Start planting willows!! I hope they have enough to eat there. It’s amazing how large their territories are here. Glad that they will be in an enclosure. They will go far afield looking for food. One near me got hit by a car ☹️ They could chip the beaver so if it gets out they can return it for its own safety.
Love this channel! Beavers have been present in my city for a couple of years now, although we don't really have running streams etc. They typically inhabit a certain pond for a couple of months, until the useful trees have all been protected or felled. So they don't build dams in my area, which makes it very hard to actually find the beavers. Still, people often get very excited when they learn that a beaver inhabits the waterways they see everyday. They are very interesting creatures and can help raise awareness about the fact that we can invite much more wildlife into our urban areas if we accomodate them. Can't wait to see them being released in London!
@@LeaveCurious Nijmegen, the Netherlands! Certain areas in my city have been built on old swamps and marshes and the developments from the 60's and later generally take this into consideration, leaving intact small waterways and patches of old trees. Knowing you can always encounter beavers, owls and other birds of prey really adds something to the neighborhood!
Lovely. But cant help feel its sad they have to be moved because some idiots who wont allow reintroduction of predators that would naturally control them then face the consequences of not controlling them.
Beavers were made extinct in British Columbia resulting in terrible flooding in the Fraser Valley. Beavers were reintroduced by Eric Collier. They are now thriving well into the city of Vancouver as far as Jericho Beach. The dogs and people seem to not bother them much. Good luck!
If you like to read I have a recommendation. Three against the wilderness by Eric Collier. It's the true story of a young family who move to a log cabin in the wilds of British Columbia Canada in the early 1900s, after realising that a lot of the wildlife was dying out they decide to repopulate the beavers that the fur trade had wiped out although they face stiff resistance from landowners for miles around. Even without the beaver it is a great story of survival in the wilderness and all the problems that come with that but it really does highlight what an amazing job the beaver do habitat engineering for other species to thrive. One scene always stands out to me and its nothing to do with beavers. One day whilst out trapping the father is looking back at the frozen lake where his cabin is situated through binoculars when to his horror he sees his 13 year old son walking accross the ice with a huge pack of wolf following/circling him. He is much too far away to do anything and has to watch his son walk close to a mile with the wolf on his trail knowing if the boys runs he is done for... The suspense reading that chapter is something I will never forget
Well, its been a while since you day has been made... sorry for the lack of uploads here, but I will be uploading much more consistently from now! Cheers!
I'm very sceptical about re-housing wildlife and glad to hear they will be enclosed. Although non-indigenous the Coypu (Nutria) have become over-run here in the Rhein area of Germany … literally (I see run over animals weekly).
Great video. An aside about beavers. They are NOT cute, pettable animals. Though their impact to the environment is unquestioned, they WILL protect their space and they WILL bite. You can be killed by a beaver bite, so don't even try to get near one if you are not an expert!
Beavers are great for a lot of other species but I'm a bit concerned for them when being placed next to a city. Since cities act like giant roof tops just draining all of it's rainwater as fast as possible and dump it at the lowest point nearby, the risk of flash floods too often wiping beaver nests away seems pretty high.
Having nature all around us can have way more benefits than we are often aware of. When you can only come up with two potential negatives against the positives, the beaver argument tips massively in the beaver’s favour. The concept of relocate beavers that are causing problems to somewhere doesn’t just seem obvious but also the most cost effective method. Humans culled potentially problematic species in the past and now we are realising what a mistake that was!
Many of those green trees will be killed as beavers cut them down (to build dams or to eat them) or as the beavers' ponds drown them. Also beavers reproduce (so you'll places to relocate offspring). And beavers don't always remain where they're put: they may decide to build dams where you don't want them -- such as at the ends of culverts along roads.
More care is needed - beavers can be exceptionally destructive. I spent some time in Tierra del Fuego, where beavers were released in the 1940s. There are now thousands of acres of drowned skeletal forests, plus damaged farmland, peat bogs and roads etc. I witnessed myself damage of the sub-antarctic forest - with the water flooding them and all the trees dying. The problem is there are no predators for Beaver in this area. Both the Argentine and Chilean Governments are trying now to eliminate them.
The fact you think more care needs to be taken about rewilding the land and introducing beavers, but dont give a shit about the damage humans are doing, is so expected from a close minded human it's almost boring at this point. Furthermore, you know nothing about beavers, literally nothing, as you would know that beavers don't decimate forreats, they only fell trees to build or maintain their dams, and the trees they fell open up the canopy in the Forrest, allowing sunlight to hit the Forrest floor and encouraging new growth of all sorts of flowers and trees. Please don't be so cocksure in your ignorance, you just embarrasse yourself
Great project! How many beavers can the area support? If they reproduce, are the offspring happy to stay in the family lodge when matured? Would there come a point when some beavers would have to be relocated?
Yes, beavers will have to be relocated as they mature. A price to pay when working in enclosures, hopefully it changes and the beavers can naturally disperse.
This guy seems very similar to somebody who appeared on another rewilding channel, Mossy Earth. Not that I'm saying there shouldn't be cross over but IDK maybe that should be addressed if I am correct.
Hey I’m Rob - this is my channel! Been uploading here for a few years. I’ve started working at Mossy Earth over this past year! Not sure what needs to be addressed, but happy to answer any questions
Whoa I had no idea that beavers EVER lived in the UK! I'm American and in the summer of 2002 I did a 8-week internship at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. In addition to interns (called preceptors) like me, there was a rotation of veterinarians, and one of them was a British guy. During his time someone brought in an abandoned baby beaver. This vet had never encountered one before, and while inspecting it he exclaimed, "Wow a beaver really STINKS doesn't it?" and we all died laughing, and he had no idea why. -Apparently the UK also lacked the 'beaver = slang for human female anatomy' thing.
Very interesting I'm excited to see how things progress, best wishes for the project! I have a couple of questions: What is the water quality like in that space? How does that affect the beavers? Why were the Scotland-based beavers in the "wrong" place? Is that not their usual habitat? Many thanks, Kirstie
Water quality is good for beavers! It was fine habitat for them, its just the impact of their dam building and flooding fields or other areas which people do not want flooded or perhaps felling and damage trees that landowners wish to keep.
@@LeaveCurious Ah sweet. The current of re-wilding will only flow stronger over time and the benefits will be felt by all. Peace from the neo-tropical realm
@@enoughofyourkoicarp probably because we mostly have a species of river otter (I don't know their common name right now but knowing us they're probably called the European Otter or something similar) instead of sea otters (the ones you're probably thinking of (I don't believe we get the fluffy menaces here because we don't have many if any kelp forests near us)) I like to describe river otters as a whole as Minks someone dropped in the water that now refuse to leave said water
I've seen a beaver in a river near me while canoeing. It's great their population is growing. But we are also going to need to be comfortable with hunting them soon. If he's fencing them in there's gonna be an ugly side to the project before long.
You can allow hunting when populations get high enough, landowners have a bad tendency of overhunting game when it's useful, by the way, why would the plan be to hunt beavers in this project, I know their fur is considered a commodity but I don't really recall a lot of commercial beaver hunting in this century
Hunting beavers due to high numbers is something which will not be happening in the UK for a very very long time. Moving the beavers to more suitable locations is something that I think we will see happening a lot more.
@@LeaveCurious wouldn't it make more sense to introduce a natural predator instead of hunting, it would be very hard to control population when you can no longer translocate them without using cruel methods such as traps, may I ask how it's decided where a beaver will be transferred and how do they make sure they adapt to their new environment
@@Solstice261 Good luck with that. When you see how much fuss people make about re-introducing beavers, I can't see you convincing them to let in the odd wolf to control them! I wonder if Lynx ever prey on beaver? There is a (faint) chance that the animal-loving British public might tolerate them.
My worry would be more about what’s gonna happen to the willow trees? People do realise that destroying trees is bad for the environment and we are trying to go Green right?
the idea that beavers are detrimental to woodland ecosystems is a myth - yes they fell trees, but fallen trees, dead trees are immensely valuable to wildlife. plus beavers don't fell every tree, they might do the odd big one, but they typically go for the smaller growth, species like willow that grow back very quickly from shoots.
So how does a beaver dam prevent flooding? If The dam is built across a flowing stream and water then backs up behind the dam until the dammed area reaches full capacity then any more water obviously just flows on down stream . In the event of a storm the beaver pond is already full and the extra water from the storm just goes straight over the top of the dam and on downstream just the same as it would without the dam
I think every effort should be made to accommodate beavers as they can be real assets to farmers too, but when it doesn’t work, having a safe place for them to go is the next best thing!
@@LeaveCurious but a lot of the time it does work and farmers are just hating beavers because of the prejudice they already have over them, or because the want to be able to manage the river, both attitudes a farmer shouldn't, shouldn't we be promoting farmers that are in contact with the nature in their land instead of giving leeway to those that only see it for its productive value and are ready to not leave anything wild even if it helps them (it has been proven thet areas with beavers have a better fertility) it's important to try to help and reach an agreement with the land-owners but that shouldn't be stoping the project
I Hope they are protected around the clock . There are plenty monsters within human society that will fancy those HARD WORKING ANIMALS . I pray for their protection , they are a gift of nature . 🦫🌹
I can't help but laugh at all the pearl clutching about "what if one of the beavers gets out???" I grew up in a city (yes a real city, not a small town) where you'd see them on the side of the road sometimes. They're not freaking velociraptors, it's not like they're going to start killing people.
Not to be too pessimistic but what I'm concerned about is how the beavers are going to be protected from people. Unfortunately there are a lot of shitty people in the world and I don't exactly think it's unlikely that people might try to take, harm, or outright kill the beavers. The beavers being out in the water and hiding can only protect them so much in such a relatively small area.
Sadly as has happened in a lot of other beaver reintroductions it's very likely people won't like the increase in deadwood and farmers will just hate them for doing something they feel they should be allowed to do( control the rivers as they wish for their own purposes) I wouldn't be too shocked if after a couple of months a beaver head appears somewhere
After speaking with Sean and understanding whats been done and what will be done for the safety of the beavers, this feels like an unlikely outcome. I do appreciate that anything can happen, but a certain level of cautious trust must be in place. Beavers are quite savvy creatures and always give themselves a retreat into deep water. Plus they're crepuscular / nocturnal, so during the day people are very unlikely to interact with them.
Pretty sure most if not all of the rivers in the UK used to have beavers in them, unfortunately a lot of animal species including beavers were hunted to extinction or at least severely depleted over the last couple hundred years. Projects like this are aimed at returning many of these species in a manner where they can coexist alongside humans.
@@masqueradis6925 except right now reintroductions face a lot of challenges from the population which has become unaccustomed to living with a lot of different species leading most reintroduction projects to being more of a showing people what animals are planned for the future and starting to adapt to live with them in a very controlled environment, so more like a zoo, but give it some time and proper reintroductions with free roaming animals will happen
The English public will need to get used to the presence of beavers if they do spread, which they are very good at. In Canada where I grew up, we have strict leash laws for dogs because of all the wildlife around. We haven’t quite had the same amount of time to obliterate our ecosystems there yet. Londoners are used to letting their dogs run free everywhere and don’t realize this isn’t normal in places with wildlife like beavers roaming wild. Even well behaved dogs do not mix well with smaller wild animals.
Beavers are cool, kinda frustrating they introduced otters in my area, without really thinking it through,,like literally they plonked them in the river, without regard to the already dwindling fish stocks, and their migration. Like, they're protected, but don't have the curtesy to provide help with private lakes to keep them out, just kind of a oh well, attitude
Hardly rewilding if they are fenced in. And you have to fence them in because the potential damage by an uncontrolled population could be disastrous. Apart from the ‘feel good factor’ I really don’t see the point.
I understand that this is not ideal, but this is a first step. It’s better than the alternative for London, which is doing nothing. Beavers in London is huge, they’ll get busy rewilding the enclosure, people will see it and before long once legislations change in favour of more wild beavers in England, these London beavers will be in position to start a proper wild population within London. Let’s not limited the idea of rewilding!
@@LeaveCurious Your comment only serves to display your lack of imagination. Murder is not the only damage living creatures can inflict. Perhaps, if you grit your teeth and strain very very hard you can think of something. Give it a try. (fat chance).
I believe they will be translocated to other sites as they will eventually need to find their own territory. We’ll cover this in part two of this project!!
@@LeaveCurious I was wondering about this too. Or more specificly about the dangers of inbreeding with just one family of beavers in an enclosed location...
It's a shame that farmers are allowed to shoot those beavers in Scotland, I don't think there's any good reason to kill them. Also what's the long term plan for these beavers in terms of reproduction? Will new beavers be introduced later down the line to keep a strong genetic mix?
@@LeaveCurious nothing to be sorry for you do good work educating people about nature and rewilding. I'm sorry if it sounded like I was being rude with the "long time no see" thing
Get involved & see what you can learn with Ecology Training & use discount 10LeaveCurious - ecologytraining.co.uk/course/rewilding/
..all good, until the foreign folk start trapping and eating them.. and dont tell me it dont happen, i know its happening.. also, where are all the swans going??
People need to realise that not only does the beaver dams reduce flooding it also evens out the flow in times of drought, by storing the water it has time to soak in rather than going straight out to sea, and with todays weather becoming more unpredictable this is a good thing.
This is 100% true - pretty sure we’re set to have record temperatures again following last years sustained droughts - places with beavers I know for a fact stayed wet!!
@@LeaveCurious How does the fact that water levels are permanently raised , control flooding? When flood water reaches an already full area it surely just overtops quickly? Choking drains on arable land is definitely not a gain either.
@@auldfouter8661 So beaver dams hold back water, but not entireley, so when there is high rain fall not only will more of it gather and spread on site but it will trickle through much more slowly than it would of done without it - sure if it was reeeeally heavy then it could break the dams and come through, but so far the evidence shows they're good at what they do.
@@auldfouter8661 Just an educated guess, but I assume that the ground is more capable of absorbing water if there is allready some moisture present. I could imagine that after a drought the ground needs time before a lot of water can be absorbed as it might be kind of sealed? Dam might prevent this as more water is present in the system?
I've watched numerous RUclips videos of what beavers do in the USA and Canada. They regularly cause flooding of roads necessitating the removal of their dams.
the enthusiasm of this channel gives me so much hope for the future of rewilding and the planet!! keep up the incredible work :))
Thank you Annie, theres a lot of many good reasons to have hope and I'll do my best to share them with you! Cheers!
Our suburban home backs on a river in Delaware, USA. Beavers arrived about ten years ago. The land across from us is part of a city park and the beavers settled in what was left of a marsh. I was vey worried they’d be killed, which happens too often, but they survived and have made a huge difference in recovering the marsh ecosystem. We see the adults swimming in the river from time to time and the remains of trees they’ve harvested. Harvesting the trees has improved the plant diversity on the river banks which were overcrowded with young trees. It’s a delight. I keep hoping for otters but they became extinct long ago in this area, though they do live in other parts of the state and other parts of the river. So still keeping fingers crossed.
I used to love coming here as a teen. It’s been an absolute state for the last few years since Ealing wildlife project got involved.
If you’re ever around in warmer months. Visit the horsendon loaf :)
I once saw a pair of beaver living in a pond sat right between apartment complexes/connected homes. Just a little bit of trees and plants and then the paved path and the pond, but they were apparently doing very well! I saw sign and then after the sun went down I heard their tails slapping and saw their disturbance of the water in the dim! So cool. (This was in Maryland, btw!)
Yeah doesn't sound like too much space, but goes to show what a pair of beavers can do. There must of been a river or running water nearby for them to have access?
It's amazing that these beavers will be saving the council so much money by doing the flood prevention engineering work for free! I love watching these rewilding videos, but this one in such an urban area was even more interestinng. So great that the locals are on board with it, and even their worries are for the safely of the beavers.
Yeah urban rewilding is always really interesting - its important to remember rewilding isn't just for large open expanses, it must be something we can do in our cities too.
We shouldn't be rewilding beavers to benefit humans! That is not the point!
its crazy that london is better than scotland for these beavers!
I’m sure there’s plenty of suitable places in Scotland too and across the rest of the UK. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more and more translocated beavers!
Scotland is good for beavers, but there are some landowners and farmers complaining about the beaver introductions in their areas. They took to shooting the beavers almost as soon as the beavers had arrived..
There is a strong introduction project but it faced a lot of opposition with landowners who are frightful of losing productive land in the bank of rivers due to the beavers, this lead to the horrible and useless agreement that a landowner or town population can demand a beaver be translocated if they feel like it's causing any damage, of course this ignores that most landowners don't know the benefits of having beaver and will therefore be against them from the start
@@Solstice261 Have you any idea of the cost of installing a field drainage system , which arable land can't function without ? The beavers cause the drains to silt up by raising water levels above the drain outfalls.
@@auldfouter8661 No one is saying that they aren't a bother or expensive, but if it were always what is cheaper then we should kill all deer, flies,bees etc. And before you know it you've driven your ecosystem to collapse, haven't you thought it's odd that agriculture needs subsidies, since it does. Because it does and farmers need them, then farmers must also bend to offer a bit of space for biodiversity, even if it isn't beneficial in the short term, it helps a lot on the long term, specially if you start working with it in mind instead of actively against it. If you still think getting rid of anything that gets in the way of short term profit is the answer, then I am sorry for you as your system inevitably ends up with the collapse of the sector you are trying to defend
“A family of Scottish beavers moves to London” sounds like a children’s book or Disney show.
It would make a really nice children's books on rewilding actually...
Wonder if they will be getting drunk and begging on the streets like the other Scot’s moving to London.
Such an interesting video! Thank you, i really enjoy your content as I am passionate about ecology myself. Me and my friend are currently at high school so we have picked our GCSE s going towards the path of ecology. Protecting and conserving nature is so important and your channle inspires me to do so.
That’s awesome! I wish you the best with your studies and keep finding ways to enjoy and of course learn, I encourage you to look into Ecology Training and see what they can offer you!
Is the harm of invasive species like grey squirrels and signal crayfish taught on your course ? Grey squirrels kill more native birds than domestic cats.
this is so awesome!! will be making a trip
Im from the area and this is super exciting
Start planting willows!! I hope they have enough to eat there. It’s amazing how large their territories are here. Glad that they will be in an enclosure. They will go far afield looking for food. One near me got hit by a car ☹️ They could chip the beaver so if it gets out they can return it for its own safety.
Love this channel! Beavers have been present in my city for a couple of years now, although we don't really have running streams etc. They typically inhabit a certain pond for a couple of months, until the useful trees have all been protected or felled. So they don't build dams in my area, which makes it very hard to actually find the beavers. Still, people often get very excited when they learn that a beaver inhabits the waterways they see everyday. They are very interesting creatures and can help raise awareness about the fact that we can invite much more wildlife into our urban areas if we accomodate them. Can't wait to see them being released in London!
Ah thank you Niels! What city are you from? I'm going to making some travels soon to see some urban beavers!
@@LeaveCurious Nijmegen, the Netherlands! Certain areas in my city have been built on old swamps and marshes and the developments from the 60's and later generally take this into consideration, leaving intact small waterways and patches of old trees. Knowing you can always encounter beavers, owls and other birds of prey really adds something to the neighborhood!
Please keep us updated on this. It’s amazing
I certainly will, there'll likely be another video on the project later this year! Cheers
Lovely. But cant help feel its sad they have to be moved because some idiots who wont allow reintroduction of predators that would naturally control them then face the consequences of not controlling them.
Yeah its frustrating, but for now this is our best options of getting beavers in places they're needed and are going to be safe. Cheers!
@@LeaveCurious yeah that's it atleast they aren't culling them would love to see some in the wild in UK.
Great video Rob, really cool to see things like this happening in London
Cheers Paul, its really encouraging. I think if beavers can make it make to public spaces in London, they can do it anywhere.
Excellent news, brilliant project. All the best
Scottish beavers coming to London. Live and learn. I can see a visit to Ealing parks in my future. Any excuse is good to walk among nature.
Yeah I think its pretty cool that beavers will be coming from likely one of the least most populated places in the UK to one of the densest!
Beavers were made extinct in British Columbia resulting in terrible flooding in the Fraser Valley. Beavers were reintroduced by Eric Collier. They are now thriving well into the city of Vancouver as far as Jericho Beach. The dogs and people seem to not bother them much. Good luck!
I loved watching all the birds in the parks in london and it would be fantastic to see those as well. Maybe also a tourist attraction...
Yeah, let's turn the place into a zoo.
Once we've got a few of these beavers into senior Cabinet positions, things may start to change.
If you like to read I have a recommendation. Three against the wilderness by Eric Collier. It's the true story of a young family who move to a log cabin in the wilds of British Columbia Canada in the early 1900s, after realising that a lot of the wildlife was dying out they decide to repopulate the beavers that the fur trade had wiped out although they face stiff resistance from landowners for miles around. Even without the beaver it is a great story of survival in the wilderness and all the problems that come with that but it really does highlight what an amazing job the beaver do habitat engineering for other species to thrive.
One scene always stands out to me and its nothing to do with beavers. One day whilst out trapping the father is looking back at the frozen lake where his cabin is situated through binoculars when to his horror he sees his 13 year old son walking accross the ice with a huge pack of wolf following/circling him. He is much too far away to do anything and has to watch his son walk close to a mile with the wolf on his trail knowing if the boys runs he is done for...
The suspense reading that chapter is something I will never forget
Thanks for the recommend, I’ll take a look!
Ahhh this is so exciting, I can't wait to visit this in a year or so !!
Me too! Its going to be very cool to see what they do! Cheers
Another exciting video/project! Can't wait to see more 😄🦫🌿
Yes! It very exciting :) Cheers
I hope one day London is as synonymous with beavers as it is with red buses. Great video!
Now thats a London I'd like to visit, cheers Matt!
Ah! videos from Leave curious makes my day
Well, its been a while since you day has been made... sorry for the lack of uploads here, but I will be uploading much more consistently from now! Cheers!
Bring it on! People don’t realise how much water London has in and around it. It’s perfect for beavers
I'm very sceptical about re-housing wildlife and glad to hear they will be enclosed. Although non-indigenous the Coypu (Nutria) have become over-run here in the Rhein area of Germany … literally (I see run over animals weekly).
Great video. An aside about beavers. They are NOT cute, pettable animals. Though their impact to the environment is unquestioned, they WILL protect their space and they WILL bite. You can be killed by a beaver bite, so don't even try to get near one if you are not an expert!
Yass! More beaverbelievers converts by letting the public see their great potential. Great for their public imagine
Yay for beavers! -from, a Canadian :D
Great to hear beavers are returning to London! It’d be great to have them over at the WWT London Wetland Centre as well
Its really exciting news, ill have to check WWT centre out! Sounds like it be suitable though!
Based Beavers
Very interesting video, great job!
Cheers Patrik!!!
Just completed my ecology field trip with ecology training absolutely loved it definitely would recommend
Britain's idyllic countryside river??? Best have a word with Feargal Sharkey. Good luck to the beavers battling Thames Water.
Hope these beavers don't get attacked down in London
Great video as always Rob!
Thanking you Berry!!!
I Image the Scottish beaver family being like: "Ah shit where they put us now?" - *Big Ben chimes in the distance* - "We've got work to do"
Beavers are great for a lot of other species but I'm a bit concerned for them when being placed next to a city. Since cities act like giant roof tops just draining all of it's rainwater as fast as possible and dump it at the lowest point nearby, the risk of flash floods too often wiping beaver nests away seems pretty high.
Having nature all around us can have way more benefits than we are often aware of. When you can only come up with two potential negatives against the positives, the beaver argument tips massively in the beaver’s favour. The concept of relocate beavers that are causing problems to somewhere doesn’t just seem obvious but also the most cost effective method.
Humans culled potentially problematic species in the past and now we are realising what a mistake that was!
Yeah exactly moving beavers around just seems super logical on all fronts. I bet theres many people/ecologists willing to get into that job too.
Many of those green trees will be killed as beavers cut them down (to build dams or to eat them) or as the beavers' ponds drown them. Also beavers reproduce (so you'll places to relocate offspring). And beavers don't always remain where they're put: they may decide to build dams where you don't want them -- such as at the ends of culverts along roads.
Well done. Good mix of urban and natural environments. Love to see how it works out.
Yeah urban rewilding is so important, can’t wait to see what comes of it
you guys and the work you are doing are the hope of the future. Live long and prosper.
Thank you!!!
More care is needed - beavers can be exceptionally destructive. I spent some time in Tierra del Fuego, where beavers were released in the 1940s. There are now thousands of acres of drowned skeletal forests, plus damaged farmland, peat bogs and roads etc. I witnessed myself damage of the sub-antarctic forest - with the water flooding them and all the trees dying. The problem is there are no predators for Beaver in this area. Both the Argentine and Chilean Governments are trying now to eliminate them.
The fact you think more care needs to be taken about rewilding the land and introducing beavers, but dont give a shit about the damage humans are doing, is so expected from a close minded human it's almost boring at this point.
Furthermore, you know nothing about beavers, literally nothing, as you would know that beavers don't decimate forreats, they only fell trees to build or maintain their dams, and the trees they fell open up the canopy in the Forrest, allowing sunlight to hit the Forrest floor and encouraging new growth of all sorts of flowers and trees. Please don't be so cocksure in your ignorance, you just embarrasse yourself
Great project!
How many beavers can the area support? If they reproduce, are the offspring happy to stay in the family lodge when matured?
Would there come a point when some beavers would have to be relocated?
Yes, beavers will have to be relocated as they mature. A price to pay when working in enclosures, hopefully it changes and the beavers can naturally disperse.
@@LeaveCurious really appreciate the response, thank you and good luck!
Hopefully any kits would go on to be part of any other projects in the UK
Fantastic News ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brilliant steps in the right direction! Can’t wait to see the beavers arrive here 🦫
@@LeaveCurious Yes ! Thank you Rob 👍🏼👍🏼
Devices exist to help keep water below damaging levels and pipes clear. People can live with beavers and have mutual benefits.
ive swiped right on tinder when sean popped up. Maybe he just hasnt seen my profile yet, haha
This guy seems very similar to somebody who appeared on another rewilding channel, Mossy Earth. Not that I'm saying there shouldn't be cross over but IDK maybe that should be addressed if I am correct.
Hey I’m Rob - this is my channel! Been uploading here for a few years. I’ve started working at Mossy Earth over this past year! Not sure what needs to be addressed, but happy to answer any questions
I'll be really interested to see how they do in an urban area!
Yeah it’s going to be interesting to see what the public think after they arrive!
Whoa I had no idea that beavers EVER lived in the UK! I'm American and in the summer of 2002 I did a 8-week internship at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. In addition to interns (called preceptors) like me, there was a rotation of veterinarians, and one of them was a British guy. During his time someone brought in an abandoned baby beaver. This vet had never encountered one before, and while inspecting it he exclaimed, "Wow a beaver really STINKS doesn't it?" and we all died laughing, and he had no idea why. -Apparently the UK also lacked the 'beaver = slang for human female anatomy' thing.
No it doesn’t
@@lucylane7397 Huh???
Exciting informative video we need more of these projects
We sure do! Thank you!
Are feral and roaming pet cats problematic for rewilding in UK? It’s a major issue for urban biodiversity here in Australia.
Very interesting I'm excited to see how things progress, best wishes for the project!
I have a couple of questions:
What is the water quality like in that space? How does that affect the beavers?
Why were the Scotland-based beavers in the "wrong" place? Is that not their usual habitat?
Many thanks, Kirstie
OK I totally just read the answers to my questions in the other comments.. so I'll just Leave it at Good Luck furry friends!
Water quality is good for beavers! It was fine habitat for them, its just the impact of their dam building and flooding fields or other areas which people do not want flooded or perhaps felling and damage trees that landowners wish to keep.
@@LeaveCurious Ah sweet. The current of re-wilding will only flow stronger over time and the benefits will be felt by all. Peace from the neo-tropical realm
I’ve been enthusiastic about all of your re-wilding efforts around Europe. How do you remove the invasive species from your projects ?
Great to see you making your own videos too
Yeah I’ll do my best from now on to post more consistently. I also have a BTS vlog accessible to RUclips members
Love you work. 🥰
Thank you very much, appreciate the support!
I hope we do otters at some point, mostly because they are one of my favourite animals, they're just unreasonably freaking adorable.
Otters already live in the UK
@@KodaCreatez I was today years old when I found out adorableness was only just outside, why am I only just now learning of this?
@@enoughofyourkoicarp probably because we mostly have a species of river otter (I don't know their common name right now but knowing us they're probably called the European Otter or something similar) instead of sea otters (the ones you're probably thinking of (I don't believe we get the fluffy menaces here because we don't have many if any kelp forests near us)) I like to describe river otters as a whole as Minks someone dropped in the water that now refuse to leave said water
@@KodaCreatez I just looked them up on the woodland trust website, they're still unreasonably adorable.
I've seen a beaver in a river near me while canoeing. It's great their population is growing. But we are also going to need to be comfortable with hunting them soon. If he's fencing them in there's gonna be an ugly side to the project before long.
You can allow hunting when populations get high enough, landowners have a bad tendency of overhunting game when it's useful, by the way, why would the plan be to hunt beavers in this project, I know their fur is considered a commodity but I don't really recall a lot of commercial beaver hunting in this century
Overpopulation. They need a predator or disease and starvation will do the job for you. Hopefully be a few years away.
Hunting beavers due to high numbers is something which will not be happening in the UK for a very very long time. Moving the beavers to more suitable locations is something that I think we will see happening a lot more.
@@LeaveCurious wouldn't it make more sense to introduce a natural predator instead of hunting, it would be very hard to control population when you can no longer translocate them without using cruel methods such as traps, may I ask how it's decided where a beaver will be transferred and how do they make sure they adapt to their new environment
@@Solstice261 Good luck with that. When you see how much fuss people make about re-introducing beavers, I can't see you convincing them to let in the odd wolf to control them! I wonder if Lynx ever prey on beaver? There is a (faint) chance that the animal-loving British public might tolerate them.
My worry would be more about what’s gonna happen to the willow trees? People do realise that destroying trees is bad for the environment and we are trying to go Green right?
the idea that beavers are detrimental to woodland ecosystems is a myth - yes they fell trees, but fallen trees, dead trees are immensely valuable to wildlife. plus beavers don't fell every tree, they might do the odd big one, but they typically go for the smaller growth, species like willow that grow back very quickly from shoots.
Love this! Let’s mix urban life and wilderness with a 21st century spin
100% it’s the blend we need
So how does a beaver dam prevent flooding? If The dam is built across a flowing stream and water then backs up behind the dam until the dammed area reaches full capacity then any more water obviously just flows on down stream . In the event of a storm the beaver pond is already full and the extra water from the storm just goes straight over the top of the dam and on downstream just the same as it would without the dam
Very cool! I had heard whispers about this.
The whispers are true!! Cheers Chris
What will stop people taking dogs into the site?
Dogs will be allowed I believe, they will just have to be on leads.
based builder beavers
Omg what if Beavers get out! Jurassic Park replay
Wow! Im shook that London is trying out beaver reintroductions!
Yes! Its really cool. Keep out for more videos on this project later in the year.
@@LeaveCurious I'll stay tuned!
Who doesn’t love a beaver
No one
Amazing!
I think so too!!
I was told they taste good, willow?
why are the Beavers in the wrong place, maybe its the farmers that are in the wrong place?
I think every effort should be made to accommodate beavers as they can be real assets to farmers too, but when it doesn’t work, having a safe place for them to go is the next best thing!
@@LeaveCurious but a lot of the time it does work and farmers are just hating beavers because of the prejudice they already have over them, or because the want to be able to manage the river, both attitudes a farmer shouldn't, shouldn't we be promoting farmers that are in contact with the nature in their land instead of giving leeway to those that only see it for its productive value and are ready to not leave anything wild even if it helps them (it has been proven thet areas with beavers have a better fertility) it's important to try to help and reach an agreement with the land-owners but that shouldn't be stoping the project
I Hope they are protected around the clock . There are plenty monsters within human society that will fancy those HARD WORKING ANIMALS . I pray for their protection , they are a gift of nature . 🦫🌹
Hope for the best! 💚🤍🦫
I can't help but laugh at all the pearl clutching about "what if one of the beavers gets out???"
I grew up in a city (yes a real city, not a small town) where you'd see them on the side of the road sometimes.
They're not freaking velociraptors, it's not like they're going to start killing people.
Awesome!
Do they live in hot weather?
Reintroduction used with eurasian beavers? I hear they got american beavers too.
Yes they'll be european beavers, I don't know about any american beavers being part of UK projects thought!
Not to be too pessimistic but what I'm concerned about is how the beavers are going to be protected from people. Unfortunately there are a lot of shitty people in the world and I don't exactly think it's unlikely that people might try to take, harm, or outright kill the beavers. The beavers being out in the water and hiding can only protect them so much in such a relatively small area.
Sadly as has happened in a lot of other beaver reintroductions it's very likely people won't like the increase in deadwood and farmers will just hate them for doing something they feel they should be allowed to do( control the rivers as they wish for their own purposes) I wouldn't be too shocked if after a couple of months a beaver head appears somewhere
After speaking with Sean and understanding whats been done and what will be done for the safety of the beavers, this feels like an unlikely outcome. I do appreciate that anything can happen, but a certain level of cautious trust must be in place. Beavers are quite savvy creatures and always give themselves a retreat into deep water. Plus they're crepuscular / nocturnal, so during the day people are very unlikely to interact with them.
@@LeaveCurious nice to know the project has made sure locals are in favour and the animals will be in no danger
Are european beavers very different from american ones?
I believe the main difference are size rather than in behaviour. The european beaver is slightly bigger!
The Thames has no beavers? Watching from Massachusetts.
Nope no beavers currently on the Thames! Give it time though….
Pretty sure most if not all of the rivers in the UK used to have beavers in them, unfortunately a lot of animal species including beavers were hunted to extinction or at least severely depleted over the last couple hundred years. Projects like this are aimed at returning many of these species in a manner where they can coexist alongside humans.
@@masqueradis6925 except right now reintroductions face a lot of challenges from the population which has become unaccustomed to living with a lot of different species leading most reintroduction projects to being more of a showing people what animals are planned for the future and starting to adapt to live with them in a very controlled environment, so more like a zoo, but give it some time and proper reintroductions with free roaming animals will happen
Close to burger place....look out for beaver burgers on menu
The English public will need to get used to the presence of beavers if they do spread, which they are very good at. In Canada where I grew up, we have strict leash laws for dogs because of all the wildlife around. We haven’t quite had the same amount of time to obliterate our ecosystems there yet. Londoners are used to letting their dogs run free everywhere and don’t realize this isn’t normal in places with wildlife like beavers roaming wild. Even well behaved dogs do not mix well with smaller wild animals.
What about the polluted waters? You don't talk about it much in the document as if it was not a factor for the "castors".
Sounds like another London vanity project. There's absolutely loads of better and more rural places in the UK that is more suitable.
This location is prefect for beavers, as is the wider landscape around it. Cities need beavers just as much as rural areas.
Beavers are cool, kinda frustrating they introduced otters in my area, without really thinking it through,,like literally they plonked them in the river, without regard to the already dwindling fish stocks, and their migration. Like, they're protected, but don't have the curtesy to provide help with private lakes to keep them out, just kind of a oh well, attitude
Will they make renting cheaper, otherwise I just don't care..
They might welcome us into their lodges for less.
Scotland needs to sort out their beaver issue, it's outrageous that they are killing them.
Yeah, these translocations are really the best method. Hopefully more opportunities open up in England for wild reintroductions, that would be epic
Can i buy the t-shirt that Sean is wearing somewhere?
I will ask him and get back to you!
Sean here, it’s a t-shirt of a Water Vole from The Wildlife Trusts!
@@EalingWildlifeGroup Thank you!
Hardly rewilding if they are fenced in. And you have to fence them in because the potential damage by an uncontrolled population could be disastrous.
Apart from the ‘feel good factor’ I really don’t see the point.
I understand that this is not ideal, but this is a first step. It’s better than the alternative for London, which is doing nothing. Beavers in London is huge, they’ll get busy rewilding the enclosure, people will see it and before long once legislations change in favour of more wild beavers in England, these London beavers will be in position to start a proper wild population within London. Let’s not limited the idea of rewilding!
I see it as useful as a study on the advantages and disadvantages
"It doesn't matter if beavers get out - they're not going to cause any harm".............................famous last words.
oh no the mass murdering beavers are on the loose
@@LeaveCurious Your comment only serves to display your lack of imagination. Murder is not the only damage living creatures can inflict. Perhaps, if you grit your teeth and strain very very hard you can think of something. Give it a try. (fat chance).
@@LordOfLight haha i was only joking. sure beavers can flood areas and damage trees.
@@LeaveCurious I understand they also bite people. Perhaps Londoners care not for this.
I suspect they do.
@@LordOfLighthow often does THAT happen? Y’all get bit by beaver’s across the pond?!?! Oh my.
What about population growth?
I believe they will be translocated to other sites as they will eventually need to find their own territory. We’ll cover this in part two of this project!!
@@LeaveCurious I was wondering about this too. Or more specificly about the dangers of inbreeding with just one family of beavers in an enclosed location...
@@peterloos1 Any offspring who aren't part of the core family unit will be moved on to other locations!
That....sign for Wetlands Paradise wasn't the cleanest XD
I liked it because it was exactly what you expect to find in an urban area!
@@LeaveCurious Fair enough!
oh nice
Real nice!!!
There’s plenty of Beaver in London already
👀 … can’t say I’ve seen any
It's a shame that farmers are allowed to shoot those beavers in Scotland, I don't think there's any good reason to kill them.
Also what's the long term plan for these beavers in terms of reproduction? Will new beavers be introduced later down the line to keep a strong genetic mix?
Just imagine if one sets up in the sewers.
well, if theres trees and plants down there, then I don't see why they wouldnt
@@LeaveCurious it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if there somehow were.
can the beavers pull off a coup and eject sadiq?
It is literally a matter of time until this starts flooding peoples homes.
Long time no see
Yeeeeaaahhh sorry about that. I have a plan to and will do my best to stay consistent now!
@@LeaveCurious nothing to be sorry for you do good work educating people about nature and rewilding.
I'm sorry if it sounded like I was being rude with the "long time no see" thing
whos in charge of teaching the beavers cockney rhyming slang
Haha that one will have to be written into the management plan!!
beaver ponds are not just great for the ecology they can effectively stop the spread of wild fires as well
That’s a very good point, beaver ponds will help us immensely with climate change