Beaver sisters rescued in Scotland find new home at Cornish Seal Sanctuary
The pair have made an epic journey from Scotland to Gweek as part of the 'Secret Creek' project
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary has welcomed two young beavers and they are adorable!
The sisters had to make an epic journey down to Gweek after being rescued in Scotland.
The sanctuary's old otter enclosure has been done up to create a "Beaver Nursery", where staff will keep an eye on their behaviour and eating habits.
Once they have reached a good healthy weight and have the capability of building their own shelters and dams, they will be moved to a large wooded area behind the Beaver Nursery to live a natural beaver life!
The beavers have been moved from Scotland to their new home at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary as part of the 'Secret Creek' project.
The sanctuary is planning various research projects to understand more about beaver behaviour in the wild and how they impact the environment they inhabit; their presence may even help to combat climate change!
The projects will mainly focus on monitoring water quality and impact of damming, biodiversity counts, landscape changes and public perception on beaver re-wilding.
The aim of the "Secret Creek" area is to provide engaging educational content for visitors to learn about these enigmatic animals and, possibly, catch the beaver sisters hard at work!
"We're very pleased to be able to help with this project by licensing the re-location of beavers from Scotland to Cornwall.
"Beavers can have hugely positive impacts on nature and people, creating habitats such as ponds and wetlands where other species thrive, as well as moderating water flows and improving water quality.
"We wish the Cornish Seal Sanctuary every success and look forward to supporting similar projects elsewhere to realise the many benefits that beavers can provide".
Jenny Bryce, NatureScot Wildlife Ecology Manager
What do we know about beavers?
Beavers are very secretive creatures, mostly active during the night, which makes it difficult for the public to observe these mammals.
Conservationists and beaver re-wilding campaigners across Britain are now trialling many projects, bringing beavers into managed environments to study their impact on nature.
Wild beavers had been living in Great Britain over 400 years ago before going extinct. They were mainly hunted for their fur and castoreum, a musky secretion, thought to contain medicinal properties.
Beavers are 'keystone species'. This is because their natural behaviour has a big impact on our landscape and wildlife. By damming waterways, beavers pool water, slowing the flow in rivers and streams. This water floods an area, creating new wetland and attracting wildlife, providing a home and water source for many species.
Dr Roisin Campbell- Palmer, beaver ecologist and practitioner, rescued and transported the beavers to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, while working closely with Five Sister Zoo in West Calder for their initial care and vet checks.
Dr Campbell-Palmer and her colleague, Robert Needham, were also integral in conducting a feasibility study on the "Secret Creek" area at the Sanctuary to assess suitability of the habitat for the beavers.
"It is pretty special when we see beavers go off into their new homes and it just makes it all worthwhile".
Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer
You can watch the moment the beavers arrived at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary below...