First beaver kits in 400 years born in the wild in the Cairngorms National Park

Beavers released earlier this year have successfully bred and given birth to two kits, making them the first wild-born beavers in the Cairngorms in over 400 years. The beaver kits were born to two of the six family groups that have been translocated to the upper Spey catchment, as part of a coordinated effort to re-establish the species in the Cairngorms National Park.

Beavers are known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ – by changing and re-naturalising the landscape around them they help restore our rivers and wetlands, which in turn helps reduce the impacts of climate change and boost biodiversity.