Beavers living wild on the Longleat estate are continuing to thrive, with two family groups successfully raising young this year, even after one of the driest summers on record.
Footage captured on wildlife cameras has confirmed that at least two of Longleat’s beaver families have produced kits, offering strong evidence that the estate’s wetlands remain rich and resilient.
The discovery marks another step forward for the population, which has steadily grown since the first beavers returned to the Wiltshire estate five years ago.
Dr Tom Lewis, Head of Conservation and Research at Longleat, said the findings were encouraging, particularly given the challenging conditions wildlife faced this summer.
“When the first beavers arrived here in 2020, we had just two family groups. By this year, that number has doubled,” he said.
“Camera footage shows two families grooming, feeding and moving together, with each group raising between two and three kits. That tells us they were able to find enough food and suitable habitat, even during a very dry year.”
Although beavers remain classed as endangered in England, their gradual return to suitable landscapes is helping to restore natural ecosystems. At Longleat, the animals have been allowed to shape their surroundings naturally, with minimal human intervention.
Young beavers typically remain with their family for around two years before moving on to establish territories of their own, often close to where they were born.
While dense vegetation and low water levels made it difficult to directly monitor all beaver territories on the estate this year, other signs point clearly to further breeding success.
“In areas we couldn’t access safely, we still saw fresh feeding sites and wider foraging ranges,” Dr Lewis explained.
“Those changes usually indicate growing family groups.”
The impact of the beavers’ presence was particularly visible during the height of the drought. While many natural streams dried out, the ponds created and maintained by the animals continued to hold water.
“These wetlands became vital refuges,” said Dr Lewis.
“They supported amphibians, fish, insects such as dragonflies, and mammals like bats that rely on those insects for food. Even at the driest point of the summer, these areas remained full of life.”
By creating stable wetland habitats, beavers help sustain entire networks of species, strengthening biodiversity across the landscape.
“At Longleat, their work is doing exactly what nature intended,” Dr Lewis added.
“They’re quietly reshaping the land in a way that benefits wildlife far beyond their own species.”
