- cross-posted to:
- nature@feddit.uk
- cross-posted to:
- nature@feddit.uk
cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14368537
Residents and visitors to Canterbury have been treated to the unusual sight of baby beavers swimming in the River Stour.
The babies, called kits, are thought to be the first to be born in a wild urban setting in England for centuries.
The semi-aquatic rodents are known as a keystone species because of the enormous impact they have on the wildlife around them.
Sandra King, chief executive officer of the Beaver Trust, said: “It’s so exciting to see them here.”
Wild beavers prevent flooding, urban beavers cause flooding.
Wild beavers create wetlands and marshes and ponds which create storage for stormwater.
Urban/rural beavers block ditches and creeks which overflow into roads and yards and farm fields.