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Beaver 'settles in' to new home in Cornwall

The Lost Gardens of Heligan A brown beaver entering the river in a woodland at the centre. There is a carry case to the left with a woman crouched beside it smiling looking at the animal. There is also a man stood in the river on the right also looking at the animal in water. The Lost Gardens of Heligan
The Lost Gardens of Heligan said its new male beaver was getting on 'very well' with its resident female beaver

A male beaver which travelled from Wales to Cornwall has "settled in" to its new home, alongside its resident female beaver.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan introduced Byrti in October from Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust after the previous male beaver at Heligan died.

The female beaver, Twiggy, had been alone for about nine months, which wildlife coordinator Toby Davies said was "OK" as beavers can live alone in the wild for some time.

After three weeks, Mr Davies said the new pair had been getting on "very well" and were "getting ready for the winter ahead" together.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan A brown beaver partially submerged in a river facing left. The beaver, Byrti, is surrounded by green plants.The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Toby Davies said Twiggy the beaver was 'unsure' of her new neighbour at first

“I monitor the beavers with camera traps. We bait the camera traps with multiple things like carrots, apples, parsnips, sweet potatoes- all that sort of thing.

“It is quite difficult to get footage of them together. I think when Byrti came in, Twiggy was a little unsure of him, understandably, because she has been on her own for a while.

“Initially they lived separately and then after three weeks, I managed to get footage of them together and their activity.

"Through the camera traps we keep an eye on body condition as well. If there were signs, they had been fighting, we might have had to rethink things but luckily there was not."

The Lost Gardens of Heligan A brown beaver partially submerged in a river facing towards the camera showing two its teeth. The beaver, Byrti, is surrounded by green plants.The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Toby Davies said the gardens were not running a breeding program but would not be opposed to having a family of beavers in the future

He said there had been a lot of damming activity and the animals became "less active" rather than hibernate during the winter months.

Mr Davies explained they did not have the beavers at Heligan for a breeding programme but for their environmental and eco-system benefits.

“Our main aims of having beavers were to try and help reduced flooding in Mevagissey which is sort of down our river catchment, he said.

“If our beavers didn’t have kits, which are the young, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“But obviously we would quite like them and it is quite a large enclosure as well so it would be nice to have a family of them down there if I can," he added: "Fingers crossed."

'Mutual grooming'

The move was a collaborative effort between the gardens, The Welsh Beaver Project, Beaver Trust, and Natural England which highlighted "the power of partnership in species recovery".

Eva Bishop from The Beavers Trust said the pair had been "matched well" as they were similar ages and sizes. She said it was a "perfect opportunity".

“The pair’s bonding is really vital, and we have seen lots of mutual grooming and eating together and following each other around which is really lovely."

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