Wild Beaver Couple Settles in Norfolk After 500 Years

After 500 years of absence, love has returned to Norfolk's waterways in the form of two wild beavers caught on camera grooming each other by the riverbank.

Volunteers at Pensthorpe nature reserve thought they had just one lone beaver living in their river. Then, just before Valentine's Day, cameras captured two beavers swimming together at night and showing clear signs of bonding as a pair.

"They're living together and behaving as a family unit," said Richard Spowage, the reserve's manager. The couple had built a family-size lodge together, though only one beaver had appeared on camera until now.

Nobody knows how the beavers arrived in Norfolk. The reserve sits about 20 miles outside Norwich, far from any known beaver populations. Spowage suspects someone illegally released them, a practice called "beaver bombing" that conservationists discourage.

Still, the reserve is embracing their unexpected guests. "Now that we have these animals here, playing a role in the ecosystem that was missing from our river, it's our responsibility to protect them," Spowage said.

The Ripple Effect

In just three months, the beaver pair has already improved their new home. They've cleared river debris, revealing sand and gravel at the riverbed that hadn't been visible in years. Small glades are opening along the river's edge where the beavers removed willows and birches.

That sunlight now reaching the water will encourage vegetation growth, boost invertebrate populations, and help fish thrive. The transformations happened naturally, without human intervention or expensive restoration projects.

Beavers are returning across England after centuries of extinction. Wild populations now exist in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Kent, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Herefordshire. Scotland's beaver population has reached an estimated 1,500 animals since the government began formally allowing releases in 2021.

The licensing process for legal beaver releases remains slow and costly, frustrating conservationists who want to see more reintroductions. Only two pairs and one family have been legally released in England so far this year.

For the Norfolk pair, the future looks promising. The reserve wants to see more beavers legally introduced to the River Wensum to ensure genetic diversity. Natural England is investigating the situation and working with Pensthorpe to support the animals.

After half a millennium, these ecosystem engineers are finally home.