First baby beaver born in 400 years in Staffordshire

The birth of the first baby beaver in 400 years in Staffordshire has been recorded, a country estate's staff say.

Beaver and wildlife ranger at Trentham Gardens, Harvey Tweats, said the kit appeared healthy and its birth was a "remarkable landmark".

The family of Eurasian beavers, a native British species, was introduced to the 182-acre site near Stoke-on-Trent, from Scotland in March.

"It is incredible news for the estate and Staffordshire as a whole," he said.

The animals are known for engineering their habitat by felling and coppicing trees, digging canals, burrowing and building dams, creating biodiverse wetlands.

The baby beaver was born at Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire.

Beavers were hunted to extinction in England and the project aimed to conserve the species.

"For them to be able to breed within just three months just shows that this way of managing this species in a British context works really well," added Mr Tweats.

"This project demonstrates just how successful the relocation of beavers to suitable landscapes can be."

"We're proud to be bringing back this important keystone species to England and can't wait to see the new addition exploring their surroundings."