A baby beaver has been spotted in London — for the first time in roughly 400 years. The furry dam builders had been hunted to extinction, but there's been a recent effort to re-introduce beavers from elsewhere to the Fisher King's arid lands as part of a broader re-wilding initiative. From the Enfield Council website:
Enfield Council launched London's first beaver reintroduction programme in 2022, bringing beavers back to the capital for the first time in 400 years, as part of a rewilding and natural flood management project. This has been done in partnership with Capel Manor College, London's environmental college and with advice from the Beaver Trust.
It is thought that this is the first baby beaver to be born in London for hundreds of years. Beavers were hunted to extinction in England but have been introduced in recent times to some areas across the country.
As of press time, it remains unclear if this beaver is in fact the reincarnated beaver of the late Queen Elizabeth.
