Watch the heartwarming moment beavers are released into Yorkshire for the first time in 400 years

This is the moment a wild beaver walked across Yorkshire soil for the first time in over four centuries.
The moment the beavers were releasedThe moment the beavers were released
The moment the beavers were released

The heartwarming moment the creature was released into Cropton Forest, near Pickering, as part of a re-introduction programme was captured on camera by biologist Dr Amy-Jane Beer.

Two Eurasian beavers have been brought from Scotland to the woodland on a trial basis to assess their impact on the environment.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The area is home to several artificial dams that have been constructed to protect nearby homes from flooding, and Forestry England will study the beavers' effect on these flood management measures.

Their new home is a 10-hectare forest with 824 metres of beck and two old ornamental fish ponds, as well as young birch woodland and open areas for summer grazing.

Staff from Flamingo Land theme park helped with the transport and release of the animals.

Beavers were hunted for their fur and wild populations in Britain had been wiped out by the 16th century.

In 2009, four beaver families were relocated from Norway to Knapdale in Argyll, Scotland, and released into the wild.