Baby Beaver Born at Heal Somerset
By Jill Dando News
Heal Somerset is thrilled to announce a landmark moment in its rewilding journey: the first confirmed sighting of a baby beaver born onsite.
The appearance of the baby beaver — known as a kit — was captured on trail camera footage earlier this week and marks the first recorded evidence of successful wild beaver breeding at Heal Somerset, which is located between Frome and Bruton.
Last month, the team observed a lactating female beaver and hoped this was a sign that kits could soon emerge.
In order to protect the potential site of the beaver burrow, an exclusion zone was established to minimise human disturbance.
While the area remained undisturbed, a group of dedicated filming volunteers worked on placing trail cameras in carefully chosen locations along the riverbank. After a period of patient waiting, the footage finally revealed what everyone had hoped for: a baby beaver swimming alongside an adult —likely its mother.
In the video, the adult beaver is seen gently nudging the kit through the water before the young beaver swims away independently.
Off screen, the adult then performs a classic beaver tail slap — an alert behaviour indicating possible danger. The kit responds with its own tail slap and quickly dives underwater.
Beaver activity was first recorded at Heal Somerset in early 2024, with a pair confirmed by August of that year. In the months since, the beavers have been hard at work, constructing several new dams — efforts captured on trail cameras that showcase their remarkable persistence and engineering skill.
These dams have created deeper pools that are now attracting a variety of wildlife, including ducklings and even otters.
These beavers have settled along a narrow, steep-sided tributary of the River Frome. Their dam-building is gradually widening the banks and slowing the water flow — natural processes that help reduce the risk of downstream flooding and contribute to healthier, more resilient ecosystems.
This new development is a powerful milestone in Heal’s mission to rewild nature-depleted land in England and create havens for biodiversity.
To see more about the charity Heal and the work they do click here
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