Wildlife: First baby beaver born in 400 years in Staffordshire

Staff at a nature reserve in Staffordshire are celebrating a very special arrival.

A baby beaver, known as a kit, has been born at Trentham Gardens - the first one to be born in the county for 400 years!

Its parents were brought all the way from Scotland and were introduced to Trentham's lake just three months ago.

Staff at the site said the kit appeared healthy and its birth was a "remarkable landmark".

Beaver kits usually don't become independent until they're around two years old

Beavers are native to the UK, but they were brought to near-extinction in the 16th century because people used to hunt them for their fur and meat.

However, the furry mammals have a positive impact on the wildlife around them.

Beavers are known for taking wood and building dams, where they hold up a lot of water - this can protect land downriver from flooding and improve the quality of water that does go through the dams.

It's hoped projects like these, which reintroduce them to areas of Britain, will help beavers flourish and thrive here once again.

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Visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the kit are being asked to be extra careful as it grows.

Carol Adams, Trentham's Head of Horticulture and Biodiversity said: "This is such amazing news and a positive step in establishing a keystone species back into a historic landscape.

"It will be fascinating to see how the kits get to grips with their surroundings and how the adult beavers take to parenting a larger family."