Sweet video shows the first beaver kits born in the wild in 400 years in Scottish national park

The first beavers born into the wild in Scotland after more than four centuries have been spotted in one of the country’s national parks.

Two kits, which are baby beavers, were spotted in the Cairngorms National Park. They are the offspring of two of the six families relocated to the upper Spey catchment area of the park.

The move was made in an effort to re-establish the species in the area. The exact dates of when the two kits were born is unclear. However, park officials said they were born “in the past few weeks”.

The youngest of the two was born in early August, when it was picked up on the cameras for the first time.

Sarah Henshall, head of conservation at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “This is a really exciting milestone in our project to bring beavers back to the Cairngorms National Park. We’ve been monitoring the beavers closely since the first releases in December and it’s encouraging that two of the beaver pairs have already bred successfully.

“There are also encouraging signs of breeding behaviour at other locations, including evidence of them busily expanding their lodges. So we are hopeful that there will be more kits to come. Today’s news is another positive step towards establishing a sustainable population of beavers in the national park.

“To get to this point in the journey of bringing beavers back to the Cairngorms National Park, there has been extensive engagement with the agricultural community, fishing interests, the public and other key stakeholders. We have to thank the land owners and all the partners involved for their hard work and support of this project.”

Some conservationists have said beavers will help restore rivers and wetlands throughout the park, which should, in turn, help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, head of restoration at Beaver Trust, said: “The successful birth of a kit is what all the partners on this project have been hoping for this summer. With any translocation of a species, there are no guarantees that the animals will settle, so for two pairs to have bred successfully proves the work that has gone into identifying suitable habitat and locations has been worthwhile.”

It comes as the park authority and partners are considering potential release locations for the second year of the project.

Following conversations with landowners and communities, the project has developed a robust monitoring and mitigation plan for beavers that is specific to the Cairngorms and goes above and beyond the national scheme.

Jenny Bryce, NatureScot’s beaver team manager, said: “After all the hard work by the park authority and many others, it is so rewarding to see the beaver families moved to the Cairngorms National Park doing so well and producing their first kits.

“This project is an important step towards restoring beavers in Scotland, a species which provides many benefits for nature, creating habitats such as ponds and wetlands where other species thrive, as well as moderating water flows and improving water quality.

“We will continue to work alongside the park authority, local people and organisations to closely monitor all the beaver families and assess their impact on the surrounding area. We are committed to helping solve any issues that might arise as the beavers settle into their new homes.”